Only a week to fall in love
by Alexandra-Kyoko
Summary: yukiru. yuki's a big time business guy and to get promoted, his brother tells him he has one week to find a wife, and tohru's the girl he's set his sights on.
1. Chapter 1

due to popular demand, i'm going to put this back up. the reason i had it down was so that i could turn it into a novel for publication but i'm busy with other stories right now so i dont see that happening for a few years. i'll leave it up temporarily till then but i do like the story. sorry its all together in one chapter. this is the only way its still saved in my computer.

chapter 1- the deal

Twenty-five years old... Yuki watched the celebration occurring in front of him with little interest. It was kind of like watching a dream. Even if this party was in celebration of his twenty-fifth birthday, somehow, he felt as though it were for someone else.

The party center his brother had rented was fairly large. Lined up against the walls were long tables covered in every appetizer and snack imaginable from finger sandwiches to cookies and cakes. They had also invited nearly every single person from his brother's company to come as well, not that Yuki particularly cared. He wasn't close to any of them anyway. As a matter of fact, he wasn't very close to anyone at all really. But he didn't mind. Sometimes, it was nice being alone.

At the front of the center was a small stage where a radio had been set up and music was playing. Yuki furrowed his brows as, out of nowhere, Yuki's older brother Ayame jumped onto it, grabbing hold of the microphone. "Greetings everyone!" he shouted cheerfully, the sudden noise screeching loudly in the mike's speakers and echoing obnoxiously in the room.

Cringing, everyone turned to listen and the ringing sound slowly disappeared. Yuki put a hand to his forehead and groaned. _Please don't let him say anything stupid. Please don't let him say anything stupid. Please don't let him say anything stupid._

"As we all know," Ayame began loudly. "Today is my darling little brother Yuki's twenty fifth birthday and I have a little announcement to make as well." Yuki closed his eyes, praying his brother would shut up. "Our company, the Sohma Corporation, has grown massively since we began over fifty years ago! And we now own nearly a third of all the businesses in Japan. It's quite an accomplishment. We are also branching off to the south and opening up a major department down there which we've decided we want _my darling little brother to run!_ Isn't that exciting Yuki?"

Yuki was awestruck. He had worked as a manager at the company for about five years and he hadn't heard anything about the new department they were opening in southern Japan. This really _was_ quite an honor. Perhaps he had misjudged his brother after all. Yuki didn't know what to say.

"But..." Ayame added coyly, a small smile playing onto his lips. "I'm not so sure my brother is really deserving of this position."

The comment seemed to strike Yuki in the forehead like an arrow being shot right between his eyes. Glaring at Ayame, Yuki could feel his face heating up as hundreds of pairs of eyes fell on him. How dare his brother say something like that in front of all their fellow employees and co-workers! What the hell was he trying to do?

"You see, Yuki is, in fact, twenty-five now, and we feel the job should go to more of a family man. Many of our major partners and adjoining businesses are family oriented you know. Yet, our darling Yuki seems to have disregarded his love life completely!" A few people on the floor, nodded, chuckling in agreement.

Yuki could feel his eye twitch as he watched his brother on stage, rage boiling up inside him. That bastard! He knew damn well why Yuki couldn't bother with things like having a relationship. It was the same damn reason why the other members of their family couldn't! They were cursed! And they had been for generations.

"This being the case," Ayame continued with a grin. "We've decided that if Yuki can prove that he is indeed capable of starting a family, then he can have the job."

"What is that supposed to mean!" Yuki finally shouted, marching up onto the stage. Climbing up beside his brother, he grabbed him by the collar, yanking him closer. "Do tell me what you're getting at 'brother dear'." He glared menacingly at Ayame, ready to punch the man in the face in front of every damn person in there.

"Temper, temper," Ayame sighed. "Now this is exactly what I'm talking about Yuki. But I suppose its to be expected, what with you not even having a woman to let out your sexual frustrations with. You must be just about ready to burst, you poor boy."

Yuki's face went bright red and he pushed his brother back, stepping away. He couldn't let himself lose control of front of everyone. Perhaps he could hire someone to kill Ayame later. "Now tell me what you want," he demanded through gritted teeth.

"Simply for you... to get married," Ayame said happily. "Find yourself a wife and you get the job. That's not too much of a task is it? I mean, just think of it as a business arrangement. You do that kind of thing all the time, don't you? It won't be so bad!"

Yuki gaped at him in shock. How could he make it sound so easy? Was his brother completely out of his mind! Shaking his head, he decided there was nothing he could do but play along with his brother's little charade. That job was much too tempting of an offer to just throw away because of Ayame's stupidity. "Fine, I'll get a wife," he muttered.

"Very good Yuki!" Ayame exclaimed. "I knew you wouldn't let me down! You have one week."

"Fine..." Yuki stopped as the full weight of what Ayame had just said hit him over the head like a lead pipe. "Wait, what! Did you just say a week!"

Ayame nodded. "That's right. They expect to know who will be running the buildings by next week. And if you can't prove yourself by then, well, we'll just have to find someone else. Actually, I believe Shigure has been hoping for this job as well and he does have seniority over you, you know."

Yuki didn't know what to say. This was ridiculous! How was he supposed to find someone to marry in a week! His brother must have literally gone insane. Too much time alone in his office sniffing permanent markers and bottles of white-out or something. But then again, he really wanted this job. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity really... "All right, fine," Yuki muttered with a defeated sigh. "I'll do it." What on earth was he getting himself into.

Taking a deep breath, Tohru stepped into the restaurant, running a hand through her hair. Her hand shook slightly as she lifted her purse and pulled out a mirror, glancing quickly at her reflection. Hmm, hair and lipstick seemed to be in place... She stumbled forward a little as she felt a little push from behind.

"Come on Tohru," Uotani hissed softly. "Just act casual. You look like you're about to have a seizure."

"I'm... sorry," Tohru said, smiling sheepishly. "I'm really going to try and talk to him today though."

"It won't be so bad," Hana reassured her. "Just be yourself."

The host appeared and led them to their seats. Torhu paused, biting her lip as she followed him. "Umm, could we please sit over there by the window?" she asked meekly. The host nodded, picking up the menus he had set down on the round table and placing them on the booth beside the windows.

"Your waiter will be with you shortly," he said before turning to leave.

Letting a deep breath, Tohru collapsed in the booth, dropping her head in her arms on the table. "I sounded like a moron, didn't I."

"Well, yeah," Uo agreed, but at least you got the table you wanted. "Are you sure he always does this one."

"Uh-huh," Tohru replied lifting her head slightly. A small smile played on her lips. "I always see him everyday on my way to work." She froze as a man appeared in front of the table. He looked back and forth between the three girls with ruby colored eyes.

"All right, can I get you guys something to drink?" he asked, pulling out a notepad.

"Wh... what... what's your name?" Tohru blurted out, her face bright red.

"Huh?" the man asked in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Kyo, and I'll be your waiter for today. Now, what do you want to drink?"

After a long pause, Uo broke in, noticing that Tohru seemed to have lost her ability to speak. "We'll have three lemonades,"

"Okay," Kyo said jotting it down on the notepad, "And any appetizers?"

"No," Hana said softly with a wave of her hand. "I don't believe we'll be ordering any of these overpriced snacks. You may leave now."

Making a face, Kyo nodded, putting the notepad back in his apron. "All right, I'll be back with your drinks in a minute." He hurried away, leaving Tohru clutching a hand over her heart.

"He's so ... nice," she murmured dreamily. "I found out his name..."

"Snap out of it, girl," Uo said shaking her head. "You're never going to get anywhere that way."

"That's easy for you to say," Tohru mumbled sadly. "You're already married. I'm just not any good with this kind of thing."

"Eh, you're making it harder than it has to be," Uo shrugged. "Besides, I don't even like my husband. I'm thinking of divorcing the bastard. You should consider yourself lucky you can still look for someone you really want to be with."

"What's wrong with your husband, Uo-chan?" Tohru asked furrowing her brows. Even after her friend Arisa had married and taken on her husbands last name, she just hadn't been able to get out of the habit of calling her Uo-chan. "I thought you guys were getting along well."

"Eh, we were, yeah. But he's never home, damn it! Kureno works for that Sohma Corporation thingy... He works about fourteen freaking hours a day! I swear! Ugh, I feel like hitting him when he comes home."

Tohru frowned as she heard Uo say this. She had always thought of marriages as a special thing. If Uotani was married and wasn't happy... then why did anyone even bother in the first place?

"Yes, and that is why I'm quite happy I decided to never take a husband," Hana said with a smile. "I believe life will be much easier that way without a man to complicate matters."

"Hmm, yeah," Tohru murmured, her eyes turned to the table. "Maybe that would be easier."

Hurrying down the street, Yuki felt as though he were going to be sick. Ever since his brother's announcement last night, every single eligible woman in the company had been all over him. He had finally escaped during his lunch break hoping to get some fresh air. He closed his eyes and groaned. If Ayame was going to insist on being an idiot and wanted to ruin his life by forcing him to marry someone in a week, the least he could do was NOT TELL THE WHOLE WORLD!

But, it was too late for that now. Not only did their entire building know, but so did every other human being even slightly associated with the Sohma Corporation. So, it was only natural that power hungry gold diggers would be knocking down his door at four in the morning. The thing that disturbed him the most though, was that not only had several girls shown up at his apartment last night to "wish him a happy birthday", with flowers and poems and chocolates, but so had several males as well... and that was just plain scary.

He stopped in front of a small diner, deciding to grab a bite to eat before he had to go back. Pulling open the door, he walked inside and allowed the smell of fresh brewed coffee to fill his senses. The host seated him at a small table beside a group of three girls who were at a booth by the window. Glancing to the side, he couldn't help but notice them, seeing as they were all attractive, young women around his age. One in particular caught his eye, a shy looking girl with long brown hair and blue eyes. She smiled at her friends and covered her face with her hands laughing. Without realizing it, he found his gaze moving to her fingers... Hmm, no ring.

Yuki felt like slapping himself. What was he doing? He wasn't going to meet his wife-to-be in a diner like this. Besides, a pretty woman like her mostly likely already had a boyfriend. Turning his attention to the large menu laying on the table before him, he held it up in front of him, scanning down the list of lunch specials.

"Hello, have you decided what you'd like to drink?" a male's voice asked in a bored tone.

Lowering down his menu, Yuki gaped when he saw the familiar orange head looking down at a pad of paper. "Kyo?"

Kyo looked up, his jaw dropping open. "Agh, you damned rat!" he shouted. "What are you doing in my restaurant! Go away!"

"I came to get lunch," Yuki retorted. "And that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"Oh no you're not!"

"Sohma!" A man's voice yelled. Both Kyo and Yuki turned to look at the enraged overweight man that was marching toward them. He glared at Kyo, grabbing him by the ear. "How many times have I told you not to yell at the customers! Are you trying to put me out of business!"

"All right, I'm sorry," Kyo grumbled, knocking the man's thick fingers away.

"Good," the man huffed before turning away and disappearing in the kitchen.

Kyo narrowed his eyes at Yuki and gritted his teeth. "So, valued customer, what would you like to drink?"

"Coffee, dearest waiter," Yuki spat in return, matching Kyo's sarcasm. Without another word, Kyo left, shoving his notepad in his pocket. Yuki sighed. This was just not his day. He felt eyes on him and turned to see the three girls he had noticed earlier staring in his direction, odd expressions on their faces. But who could blame them, after that little public display he had just put on with his cousin.

Yuki could hear the girl with the brown hair excuse herself and pull herself out of the booth. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her stop in front of his table and he wondered what she wanted. She bent down, and her hand brushed against his leg. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he tried to focus on the menu in front of him. What was she doing? He was afraid to even acknowledge her. Finally, with all the courage he could muster up, he turned his head to look at her.

"Here you go sir," Tohru said cheerfully, handing him a folded leather wallet, and pulling herself back up to her feet. "I think you dropped this."

"Oh," Yuki said in surprise as he took it. "Thank you... I didn't even realize..." He could feel his face heating up. What the hell had he thought she was doing? Maybe Ayame had been right about him. He was already twenty five and he really had no clue when it came to woman.

"You're welcome," she replied smiling. Then she left, making her way toward the restrooms.

Yuki rested his chin in his hand, watching her walk away. She'd be a nice person to go out with... except he wasn't exactly sure how people went about asking girls out in the first place. He'd pretty much spent his whole life devoting his entire body and soul to work. Other than that, he hadn't really given much thought to enhancing his personal life. Maybe this finding a wife thing was going to be even harder than he thought.

Pulling out her purse, Tohru placed a few crumpled dollars on the table for a tip. She sighed and put a head on Hana's shoulder. "Hana-chan, I couldn't do it. I couldn't ask him for his number or anything."

"Like I said earlier," Hanajima comforted, placing a hand on her friend's head. "I think living without taking a spouse is a much healthier way to be. Think of all the stress and hassle you'll save yourself."

"Yeah, having a guy isn't all its cracked up to be," Uo agreed. She took one last slurp of her drink before putting it down on the table and following Hana and Tohru out of the dining area. "But, its not so bad. Maybe you can try and ask Orange Top next time you're here."

"Orange Top?"

"Sure, he's got orange on top of his head, though I suppose its supposed to pass for hair."

Tohru laughed. "I guess so. Maybe I'll tell him I like him later." As they neared the door, they could see Kyo by the cash registar, talking to the owner.

"I'm taking my break," he said quickly, tossing his apron over the counter.

"Don't just leave this here," the owner complained as Kyo jogged outside. Tohru could feel her cheeks flushed as she watched him leave. Shaking the thoughts aside, she went to the cashier and paid for the lunch, handing her the receipt and money.

"Ready?" Tohru asked her friends. They nodded and left the restaurant together. As they were walking down the sidewalk, the alley between the restaurant and the next building came into view as they were passing by it.

Tohru noticed an orange head near the brick wall on the side of the building and turned her head for a better look. She gasped as she saw Kyo bending down over a girl with short dark hair, kissing her passionately on the lips. The sight took her by surprise and she froze, her eyes widening. So... it looked like... Kyo already had someone. She watched, unable to tear her gaze away from him as he ran a hand through the girl's hair, pulling her face closer. Tohru had never had a chance.

Uo grabbed Tohru's arm and pulled her forward. "Come on. Forget about it," she muttered.

"Tohru-kun," Hana asked softly, her voice filled with concern. "Are you all right?"

"Y...yeah, of course!" Tohru laughed as they walked, tears coming to her eyes. "I'm perfectly fine." The droplets of water spilled over her cheeks, running down her face. So he already had a girlfriend, Tohru supposed she should have been able to guess that. Although, she had to admit, it made her feel a little foolish now. "It... it was just a crush," she mumbled. "No big deal..." Covering her face with her hands, she began cried softly to herself, unable to stop. Wiping her at her eyes, she looked up at the sky as her friends tugged her forward. For some reason, it occurred to her that the sun was shining so very brightly today.

Yuki bit his lip trying to decide what to do. The girls had left a couple minutes earlier and he really wanted to try and talk to that girl with the long brown hair. Hmm, what to do. He thought of Ayame and the job that would be as good as his... and all he had to do accomplish this one little thing. All he had to do was get married. It... couldn't be that bad, right? And if he thought about it really hard, and went home and drowned himself with lots of alcohol to numb his brain, maybe he could bring himself to believe it wasn't really_ that_ big of a deal after all. It wasn't like he had to really love her or anything crazy like that. It was like a business proposition, and he made those all the time, right?

Deciding, Yuki stood up. He hadn't even finished the sandwich he ordered or the coffee either. Tossing down a twenty, he hurried out of the restaurant. Maybe he could still catch up with them. _It has to be her, _he decided finally. _She's the one I want._ Yuki smiled a little to himself. He'd been in this business a long time, and once he found something that interested him, it had to be his. She was going to be his. Business... it was all strictly business.

Up ahead of him on the sidewalk, he could make out the three girls walking. He stopped when he realized the girl with the long brown hair was crying. What had happened to her? Pushing the concern from his mind, he ran up to her, tapping her on the shoulder. She turned to look at him, her eyes red and puffy, but she smiled, wiping the dampness from her cheek. "Yes?"

"I... I was just wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner tonight," he said, flashing her his best winning smile, the one he used on his most important, not to mention wealthy clients. "To thank you for picking up my wallet for me."  
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Tohru laughed, shaking her head. "I'm sure you would've noticed it eventually even if I hadn't given it to you." He noticed the blond girl as she gave her a little shove with her elbow.

"Tohru would love to go out with you tonight," Arisa said loudly, ignoring her friend's protests.

"I look forward to it then," Yuki grinned. Perfect. He was going to get that job no matter what, even if it killed him.

chapter 2 - day 1- first date

It was official. Tohru was going to go crazy. She ran to her closet for the fifth time that night, yanking out a plain blue dress. Hurrying to her mirror, she threw it on, staring at her reflection in disgust. "I look awful!" she cried. "Hana-chan! Save me!"

"Tohru-kun," Hanijima called calmly from the other side of Tohru's bedroom door. "I'm sure you'll find something. Don't fret."

Sighing, Tohru tossed the dress into the pile of outfit rejects on the floor. She sifted through the pile, pulling out a long black skirt and silver blouse she had tried on earlier. "I think I was better off with this," she murmured. Pulling it on, she looked in the full length mirror again, biting her lip. Turning to the side, she placed a hand over her flat stomach. "Hana-chan!" she whimpered. "I look fat in this blouse."

Finally unable to take it anymore, Saki burst into the room, grabbing Tohru by the wrist. She looked her up and down, giving a small nod. "Just as I thought, you look fine," Hana reassured. Pulling her out of the room, she gave her a push into the hallway. "Doesn't she look nice Arisa?"

Uotani looked up from the magazine she was reading. "Hey, you look cute Tohru. "Stop stressing out so much."

"But Uo-chan," Tohru stammered. "I... I don't even know this guy and he's taking me out and... and... he's so handsome... how am I supposed to act? Agh, why did you have to say I'd go to dinner with him?"

"You forgot to mention that he's rich," Uo grinned. "You know, my darling hubby who's never home? ... The bastard... Anyway, he works for that guy. That was _the_ Yuki Sohma, manager of the Sohma Corporation's main building here. And his brother, Ayame Sohma actually_ owns_ the entire business! C 'mon, You should feel hella lucky he wants to take you out to dinner! You just don't pass up golden opportunities like this. And besides, its better than getting all weepy over Orange Top, don't you think?"

Tohru turned to her roommate Hanajima for help. "You agree with me don't you?" she pleaded. "I don't care about his money or position or whatever... I just don't know if I'll be able to do this. I.. I feel so nervous... and what if he doesn't like me?"

"You should have more faith in yourself Tohru-kun," Hanajima said softly with a smile. She ushered her friend into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. "Besides, if it were up to me, you'd follow in my lead and remain without a_ man _to complicate things." She smoothed out her long black skirt, sighing quietly to herself. "But I suppose it can't be helped... I always knew you'd become a wife someday... You should probably hurry... That _man_ will be here any minute now."

Uotani looked at her watch. "Hey Tohru," she called into the bathroom. "I hate to leave you now like this but I have to pick up something to make my dearest, workaholic of a husband for dinner."

"All right, I'll call you later!" Tohru replied from the bathroom. She pulled the hair curler from her hair, wondering what she had been thinking. It looked awful like this! Dunking her hands in the stream of water coming from the sink faucet, she ran it through her hair, trying to smooth out the crappy attempt she had made to curl it. Grabbing a brush and some gel she ran the bristles through, trying to straighten it again. Finally, she gave up, her hair falling in messy waves around her head and decided to just put on some makeup.

"Oh Tohru-kun," Hanajima said, knocking on the bathroom door. "Yuki Sohma is here."

Tohru's breath caught in her throat, the lipstick tube she was holding falling out of her hand. Picking up it, she quickly smeared some on, wiping the corners of her mouth and tumbling out of the bathroom. She saw Yuki sitting on the couch, looking absolutely breathtaking in a dark gray suit, his silvery hair slicked back with gel. He stood up as she came out, and Tohru wondered if she had lost the ability to breathe as well as her ability to speak. She could feel her self esteem dropping to a negative number as he approached her. He was... so amazingly attractive.

"Good evening," Yuki greeted with a warm smile. "I'm pleased to see you didn't give me the wrong address. That would have been quite embarrassing."

"It... I... uh... yeah," Tohru mumbled, her face turning bright red.

"Well, shall we go?" he asked offering his arm. Tohru nodded, acknowledging the gesture and linking her arm with his. She wondered if she would faint. It did seem as though all the blood was rushing out of her head and to her feet, and that was a cause of fainting, wasn't it?

"Bye Tohru-kun," Hanajima called softly. "Have fun you two."

"B...bye," Tohru murmured.

As they left the small apartment building, Yuki couldn't help but glance over at Tohru as they stepped outside. She looked extremely beautiful... and the funniest thing about it was that she didn't seem to realize how pretty she was. A small smile crossed his face as they approached the limousine he had rented for the night. This was sure to impress her. He waited eagerly for her reaction and was pleased to see her eyes widen in surprise.

"We... we're going in this?" she choked in shock. "I had no idea."

"Well, it's no big deal," Yuki shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. Hehe, if she thought this was nice, wait till later. The real fun was going to start when he took her to dinner. She was going to be so awed she'd be begging him for an engagement ring. _Top of the corporate ladder, here I come._ Yuki mused.

The limo driver stepped out of the car, hurrying to the back door and pulling it open for them. Torhu seemed uncertain but climbed inside. "Thank you," she nodded. Yuki followed in after her and the limo driver swung the door shut, sliding back into the front seat in front of the wheel.

"To 'La Place'?" the driver asked looking over his shoulder.

"Yes, and be quick about it," he instructed. It was time to show off a little. "We need to get there in fifteen minutes. I have reservations."

"But, sir," the driver began nervously. "You know it takes at least a half hour to get there from here."

"I didn't ask you to speak," Yuki replied haughtily. "I have reservations. So be there in fifteen minutes."

The driver eyed him silently for a moment, an odd expression on his face before turning back to face the front. "Of course, sir." He flipped the darkened windows up, separating him from the large back seat.

Yuki smiled at Tohru, a bit disappointed that she didn't look as impressed by his display of leadership as he had hoped she would. "Now that that's out of the way, I hope you like french food."

"Oh, yes, I do," Tohru agreed quickly. "Ah, french fries are quite good... and french toast..."

Biting his lip, Yuki tried to suppress a chuckle. "Something like that," he said finally. "We'll be dining at La Place. I'm sure you've heard of it. Their food is absolutely fantastic. I find myself eating there at least once a week when I can." _Yeah right. Like I would really eat someplace like that every week. It costs at least a hundred dollars for a glass of water there. I have better things to waste my money on. _But Yuki decided it was best not to mention that right now. Above all, the point of this night was to impress.

Tohru's mouth dropped open and she looked down self consciously at her plain blouse and skirt. "We're eating at La Place?" she asked meekly. "I really wish you had mentioned it earlier. I... I would have dressed a little more formally."

"Don't worry, you look beautiful," Yuki reassured. And he meant it. Technically, this was a jacket and tie type of place but he had paid them so much in advance for this little night, that he doubted anyone would dare to comment on what his date came in wearing.

Besides, there was nothing wrong with wearing a skirt there, even if her outfit was most likely a little bland compared to what the other woman would be wearing. But then again, most of those women _needed_ to wear extravagant outfits to make themselves appear slightly less... disgusting. Tohru on the other hand was attractive enough that she could pretty much get away with wearing anything.

"Um, Sohma-san," Tohru began nervously, looking down at her high heeled shoes. "Why are you doing all this for me? I mean, we only met this afternoon... and..."  
Yuki was beginning to feel nervous. Didn't she like being near him? Wasn't he impressing her enough? "Do you not wish to eat dinner with me then?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant, and therefore save his pride if she rejected him. However, he was aware that his voice came off as rather cold and rude instead, and he wanted to hit himself for it.

"N...no, it's not that at all," Tohru said quickly. "I just... don't want to feel as though I owe you. If... you really want to go then I have no problem with it."

"Fine," Yuki muttered. This wasn't going the way he planned. Not only did she look unbearably uncomfortable beside him but she sounded as though she wanted to just go home and forget about the whole thing. If she really wanted to leave so badly, he wasn't going to _force her_ to enjoy his company. He could feel anger welling up inside him as he thought of all the hard work he had put into this.

Glancing over at her again, he saw her shifting nervously in her seat, her foot tapping against the floor as though it were trembling. No. He wasn't going to give up. Not yet. He didn't care if he was forcing her to come along. He'd never get that damned job if he couldn't find a wife. Putting on his best smile, he turned to look at her again, the scowl disappearing from his soft features. "We'll be there soon," he said brightly.

For perhaps the fifth time that night, Tohru's breath caught in her throat as they stepped into the restaurant. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, reflecting soft beams of light and shadows on the walls. The lushly carpeted floor was a deep red color, and she could feel the heels of her shoes sinking into it, which was not a wholly unpleasant feeling, just an odd one. She wondered how it was possible for a carpet to be so thick and soft. You'd think that over time it would flatten out as more and more people stepped on it.

Tohru couldn't help but scold herself silently. Here she was at an expensive restaurant that she had never even dreamed of ever going to, escorted by an extremely charming and attractive man, and all she could do was fill her mind with fascinating thoughts about the carpeting. She blinked a few times, taking in the lace covered tables and deeply carved designs in the wood of the chairs. This place was practically gold plated... and she really didn't belong here.

"Why Yuki Sohma!" The hostess exclaimed hurrying up to them. "You have no idea how pleased we are to have you here at our ever so humble establishment!"

"It's always a pleasure eating here," Yuki said with a smile.

Tohru watched the two, beginning to feel self conscious once again. The hostess was a plump, elderly woman, with silver white hair pulled back into a tight, proper bun. She smiled broadly at them, though Tohru couldn't help but notice the condescending glances the woman was throwing at her.

"And who do we have here?" the woman implored, her wide smile beginning to look more and more forced. Tohru wondered if perhaps for the sake of this job, the woman had undergone some sort of cosmetic surgery that forced her to smile at all times, whether she really wanted to or not. "This must be the _lovely_ lady that you told us you'd be bringing with you. How simply... _darling._"

Torhu could feel her stomach drop at the way the woman put exaggerated emphasis on the words lovely and darling. She knew what the woman was really thinking. She could see it in her eyes. The hostess was practically glaring at her in a way that said _what's someone like you doing here._ But Tohru decided to ignore it. After all, Sohma-san had really put a lot of trouble into this dinner and she didn't want to look ungrateful. Returning the woman's sunny disposition, she nodded in response. "My name is Tohru Honda," she said brightly, holding out her hand.

The woman looked down at it as though Tohru had just thrust a live (not to mention very poisonous) snake in her direction. "Charmed... I'm sure," she replied, turning around. Tohru bit her lip, letting her hand fall back to her side. Well, there went common courtesy right out the window. "Shall I show you to your tables?"

"Yes, please," Yuki nodded.

They approached a small, round table, set up in the middle of the room, standing on a raised floor, about three inches off the ground. Tohru hadn't thought it possible but this table was actually even more elaborately set up than the others. Rather than the plain lace table clothes, it was covered in a thick creamy velvet, trimmed with gold thread and frayed at the edges. Beside it was a shiny black piano, and to the other side, a large water fountain.

Tohru almost wanted to groan out loud. They were literally the center of attention right here. Was it really necessary to sit on a giant step to make them higher up than everyone else? Was it a metaphor for Yuki Sohma? Was he the kind of person who liked to look down on people? She really had no idea because... she really didn't know _him _at all.

As they came up to the table, Tohru felt as though all eyes in the room were on her. Which wasn't a production of paranoia... All eyes really were on her. She felt her face flush as she dropped into her seat, missing the edge slightly and crashing to the floor. Jumping back onto her feet, she tried again and succeeded in sitting down... in the chair this time.

Yuki furrowed his brows in concern as she brushed some dust from her skirt. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she chirped, desperate to hide her embarrassment. "Guess I just fell." Wow, really? Did she really "just" fall? Tohru applauded herself sarcastically for putting that so eloquently. She just had such a way with words! She should become a public speaker! Or a novelist! Maybe even a poet! Or not. All she really wanted to do was go home.

They sat in silence for the next few minutes as they looked over the menus. Tohru had caught Yuki sending her several nervous glances and wondered what was the matter. Was he as nervous as she was? But... she was the one everyone was looking at as though she had just been dragged out of the gutter. It made her feel more sympathetic toward him and she sent him a warm smile. Maybe he wasn't so bad... he was just like anyone else really.

After staring at the menu for awhile, holding it close to her face, then a bit further, and then further still, she realized her eyes were indeed working. So then, $175 for a glass of iced tea... was normal? Ah yes... and this was exactly why she had never eaten here. They were most likely charging them this very second for all this expensive air they were breathing.

"May I get you two something to drink?" a waiter asked as he stopped at the table. Tohru waited for Yuki to order first. After watching him order a $650 bottle of wine and mentally imagining all the things she could do with $650... like pay her bills; gas, water, rent, groceries, and car payments included, she asked for a glass of water.

The waiter nodded and Tohru thought that was the end of the discussion, before he looked up at her and asked "Will that be mineral water, sparkling water, tonic, spring water..." and about a dozen other waters that Tohru had never even known existed.

She looked down at the table before shaking her head. "Umm, just tap water... please?" she asked, smiling weakly. "The one that doesn't cost anything?" This was just too much.

The waiter raised an eyebrow before hurrying off and once again leaving Tohru alone with Yuki. They both glanced up at each other, and Tohru could see his eyes roaming over her face, as if trying to figure out what she was thinking. "This place is very nice," she finally commented lamely, hoping to break the silence.

"It is," Yuki agreed before looking back down at the menu. "Please feel free to order anything you like."

"All right," Tohru said, turning her attention back to her own menu once more. The painful silence was settling in again, making Tohru feel nervous. She tapped her foot lightly against the soft carpet, a habit she had picked up when a customer at the store she worked at made her feel uncomfortable. She was practically shaking! She was going to have to calm down or she'd never be able to enjoy herself.

chapter 3- day 1- the trouble with puppies and gifts

When all the dinners on the menu cost anywhere from several hundred to over a thousand dollars, you do the most logical thing you can think of. You don't order anything. After all, you have a three dollar tv dinner that you splurged on the other day waiting for you at home in your freezer. However, this logic was obviously not shared by Tohru's date. Yuki simply _insisted_ she order the same thing as him, even if it _was _the most expensive thing on the menu and probably consisted of some strange animal organs that she would rather remain ignorant of.

So the dinners were brought out, steaming and smelling of odd, unidentifiable smells, and Tohru was forced to eat it. Perhaps_ forced_ is a crude way of putting it. She was '_delighted'_ to partake of such an elegant meal... even if it did taste... bad. Well, lets not use the word _bad_... or _terrible_... or _gross. _Lets use the word _different. _Using this word is a marvelous idea because things can be different in a good way. It just so happened to be that this meal was different in a not so good way. But, for only a little over a thousand dollars, Tohru had to admit, she was going to _love_ every bite of it, whether she wanted to or not.

"Do you like it?" Yuki asked finally, after what had seemed like an eternity of silence.

"Yes, of course," Tohru replied nervously. She just couldn't seem to feel comfortable around him. As a matter of fact, she was positive he didn't feel comfortable around her either, given the curiously desperate looks he was throwing her. Perhaps if they could at least hold some sort of conversation, it would help to clear the air a little. "So umm, what is it that you do?" she asked. "Could you tell me a little about where you work?"

"I'm the head manager of the Sohma corporation's main building in this area," he answered, popping a small, greenish round thing in his mouth. "And you?"

"I'm a cashier at a grocery store," Tohru said quietly.

"Oh."

And then that was it. The most words they had probably exchanged throughout the entire dinner. When one reaches a 'successful' point such as this, they realize that there's no point in trying anymore. Sighing, Tohru continued to poke at her food, while _her food_ continued to look back up at her with glazed over black eyes. For a moment, she imagined her dinner was blinking at her and she shuddered, pushing the plate away.

"Don't you like it?" Yuki pressed again, leaning forward.

"Its fine," Tohru replied, feeling herself getting frustrated. So this was the greatest concern this man had? Whether or not she enjoyed eating weird, disgusting, god knows what the heck they are, creatures that kept staring back up at her accusingly from her plate? Feeling guilty, she shook the annoyance from her mind and tried to smile. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I guess I'm just not used to eating this kind of food."

"It's all right," Yuki said, looking back down at his plate.

Why won't you talk to me! Tohru wanted to shout, to shake him, to find out what it was she was doing wrong to make him act like this toward her. Out of nowhere, a band of musicians closed in on their table, their eyes twinkling obnoxiously as they lifted their violins and began strumming away, playing unnaturally loud classical music. A celloist sang loudly while he held his large instrument, some love song Tohru had never heard before while another man appeared, presenting her with a giant bouquet of roses. And then a giant, colorfully wrapped gift, and then a pet poodle, and then the keys to a car, and then... That's it! This was crazy!  
Tohru jumped up from her seat, surprising the pianist and making the pet poodle yip loudly at her feet. What was wrong with Yuki Sohma! What could he possibly be hoping to gain by showering her with roses and cars and cute little dogs... and the dog was quite cute... but that was beside the point! "I'm sorry," Tohru said, shaking her head frantically, her face bright red. "I really have to be going."

"Wait," Yuki called, running after her. "What's wrong? Don't you like the gifts?"

Ignoring him, Tohru ran outside of the restaurant as hundreds of eyes watched her escape. Fireworks began to boom in the sky, and Tohru looked up to see streams of red and blue, clearing away and leaving a smokey trail that read _Tohru Honda. _Okay, now this was just plain scary!

"Why are you leaving!" Yuki demanded, catching up with her and grabbing her by the shoulder.

"I just... I just don't understand what you're trying to do," Tohru said desperately. "I mean, just look at this!" she pointed to her name written in the sky and then at the poodle that had followed them out of the restaurant. "I just met you this afternoon... And I don't want to sound ungrateful... its just..."

Yuki narrowed his eyes at her, a pained look crossing his features that made her immediately regret saying anything. "I should have known," Yuki spat, crossing his arms in front of him. His voice shook with anger, making Tohru take a step back in surprise. "I should have known a someone like you wouldn't be able to appreciate what I tried to do for them. Do you have any idea how much effort I put into this night! Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through!" He glared at her, speaking through clenched teeth. "I should have known better than to just ask out someone I picked up off the street!"

Tohru could feel her eyes filling with tears as he spoke. "You know what," she choked, turning away from him. "You're a real jerk." Blindly, she ran towards the limo as it pulled up in front of her and climbed into the back seat, sobbing loudly.

"Fine then!" Yuki shouted after her. "See if I care!" Marching up to the front window of the vehicle, he rapped loudly on the glass. "Take her home," he hissed, before stalking away and disappearing in the darkness.

Yuki fumed in the back seat of the taxi, mentally kicking himself. This had to have been the worst night of his life! What the hell did he have to do to get married! He had even bought her a car and cute little poodle! A ridiculously cute little poodle for crying out loud! He had thought she would be thrilled, and instead, she had humiliated him by running out on him in the middle of their dinner.

So what if he had never had a girlfriend before. So what if he had no idea what he was doing. Who didn't like gifts? Didn't everyone like gifts? Was he really so out of touch with the world that he didn't know how to make people like him? He'd even taken her to that stupidly over priced restaurant just to make her happy... and did it? No! she had looked as though she wanted to puke every time she took a bite of that disgusting dinner they'd ordered. But how was he supposed to know what the hell it was. It was written in French, damn it!

The cab pulled in front of his apartment building and he stomped out, hurrying inside. Taking the elevator, he darted into his home, the entire top floor of the building and threw his shoes off. Damn her. Damn her for making him feel like this. It was all her fault!

Work! That was all he needed right now. It was all he had ever needed his entire life! Work was his best friend. It was always there for him and never rejected him.  
And that was exactly what he was going to do right now. Work, work, work! Once again, he was reminded of why he had never had a girlfriend or anyone for that matter who he was particularly close to. People simply couldn't be counted on. No matter what you did for them, they'd leave you all alone in the end.

Throwing his office door open and flicking on the light, he sat down at his desk and turned on the computer. His business progress report was only a fourth of the way done. However, he could probably finish it tonight if he really put all his effort into it and could resign to the fact that he would most likely be working on this up until morning. Ah well, who needed sleep anyway. Who needed anything for that matter.

_As of March 14, 20XX the company has brought in a profit of $XXXXX with a margin of $XXXXXX and..._

Stopping suddenly, he opened up his email and made one out to Ayame.

_Hello "Dearest Brother",_

_I'm just writing to let you know that you're a bastard and I hate you. This is all your fault. If it weren't for you and your stupid deal, I wouldn't have had to go through this hell tonight. I actually asked this woman out and did all this crap just to impress her. And did it! NO! She ran out on me and I even made her cry! Damn you! This is all because of you! Did I mention yet that I hate you? Yes, yes, I think I did._

_Please die soon._

_Best Wishes, _

_Yuki._

Yuki stopped and looked at the ramblings on his computer screen. He realized he had already pushed the send button and began to laugh out loud to himself. Granted, it felt good to let out his anger on the particularly idiotic bastard that was the cause of all this. However, he also knew complaining wasn't going to do any good. Knowing his brother, Ayame would probably just take even more joy in knowing that he was suffering. Ah well. Too late now. Groaning, Yuki pulled up his progress report again and began to work on it.

Tohru sniffed, rummaging through her purse in the back seat of the limo. The driver turned around and handed her a tissue. "Here."

"Thank you," she said quietly, wiping at her eyes and nose.

"Bad night?"

"I guess you could say that," Tohru replied, smiling wryly.

The man nodded, his bright eyes trained on the street. "Yup, Yuki was kind of a dork tonight. But I wouldn't take it too personally." He stole a glance back at her through the rearview mirror and Tohru blushed a little, looking away. He was an attractive man with blond hair, and looked to be only a few years younger. "He's really not so bad," he added, giving her a quick grin.

"Could have fooled me," Tohru mumbled, her voice coming off as more pathetic sounding than she would have liked it to. She was beginning to feel self conscious, having this conversation with her supposed date's driver. Smoothing down her messy hair, she turned to the window and began to stare out blankly, buildings and cars a blur as they sped past them. "It doesn't really matter though," she said quietly, "I'm never going to see him again anyway."

The driver shook his head in disapproval, and Tohru frowned, wondering what the matter was. "Hey now," he began uncertainly, "I know I probably can't say much to make up for how Yuki acted tonight, but you know, you shouldn't just give up on him like that. A lot of people have and that's why he's alone right now."

"What do you mean?" Tohru asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"Well, I dunno," the driver shrugged. "I mean, I probably shouldn't be talking about him like this, but the guy's really lonely. I'm probably the only one he even talks to on a regular basis."

"And you drive him around in this limo every day?" Tohru asked. Yuki Sohma couldn't be so bad off if he could afford to be taken to work in a limousine by his own personal driver every morning and night. Hmm, and lonely? Was he really that... lonely?

The driver burst out laughing, swerving a little to the left and Tohru let out a yelp as she was thrown to the side of the back seat. "Oops, sorry about that," he chuckled, "I guess you just kinda caught me off guard with that comment." He straightened the wheel and continued down the road, horns blaring at him. "Yeah, anyway," he continued. "The last thing Yuki wants is a limo that'll make him stand out even more than he already does every day. I'm his driver cause I want to be, and yeah, he has a car that cost more than ten of mine put together, but that's not really a big deal. I mean, its more of a company car anyway. Like I said, he doesn't like to stand out. He does anyway of course, but he doesn't like it."

"I kind of find that hard to believe," Tohru commented in amusement. Something about the driver made her feel at ease, like she could really talk to him. She ran a hand down over the black leather seat and closed her eyes. For someone who didn't like to stand out, Yuki Sohma sure didn't seem to mind tonight when he had made that scene in the restaurant, with music, dogs, and fireworks!

"Oh, I think I know what you're talking about..." he bit his lip, as if trying to decide whether or not to continue. "Yuki has his reasons for trying as hard as he did. He's a bit on the, I dunno, retarded side when it comes to the opposite sex, or even any other person for that matter. He's always been like that. He's had a harder life than any of us really..." He stopped abruptly. "Now I've really said to much," he laughed loudly, trying to cover his awkwardness. "But, despite his reasons for trying to impress you tonight," he added quietly, "whether they were right or wrong, he really needs someone right now."

"Hmm, well, I guess I was a bit rude," she said finally, her voice uncertain. It was amazing, just moments ago, she had felt so much anger and resentment toward Yuki Sohma, but the more she thought about it, the more guilty she felt, as if she was the one who had done something wrong. But, she hadn't, right? Maybe it had been wrong to run out on him but... she really didn't know what to think anymore. "I just wasn't quite sure what to make of him."

"You and half the company," the driver chuckled. "Well, my humble opinion is this. Give him another shot. He's a good guy, a little awkward, but a good guy! He really just wanted you to like him, that's all. I've never seen him try so hard in my entire life. If you got to know the real him, I think you guys would really get along."

"I feel like I should go apologize now," Tohru said quietly, her face flushing. Had he really wanted to impress her that badly? Did that mean he really had feelings for her? She supposed when it came to relationships, she really had no right to judge anyone. She was probably just as clueless if not more so. If only he hadn't tried so hard to seem as arrogant and stuck up as humanly possible, maybe they would have really enjoyed their time together. Had he truly thought that acting that way would win her heart?

"If you like, I can pick you up tomorrow and take you to his apartment," the driver offered. "I've been working with Yuki for a long time now and if there's one thing he needs more than anything else in the whole world right now, its a good friend."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Torhu said smiling cheerfully, her first real smile the entire night. "Thank you so much." Maybe they'd be able to set things right now. Maybe they had just started out on the wrong foot. And now they would have a chance to try again and show each other their real personalities. "By the way," Tohru asked, leaning forward in her seat. "What's your name?"

The blond man turned to her, smiling broadly. "Momiji Sohma! Nice to meetcha!"

chapter 4- day 1- mistaken identity

Rubbing her hands over her eyes, Tohru walked toward her apartment building. At least this day was finally over. All she wanted to do right now was sleep. This had to have been one of the worst nights of her life. Did she really want to see him again tomorrow to apologize? The more she thought about it, the more unappealing, not to mention ridiculous the whole idea sounded. But Momiji-san had been so kind and cheerful, that it was hard not to take his advice. And who knew, maybe he was right about Yuki Sohma. Maybe Yuki would surprise her and become, how could she put this... a nice guy?

She swiped her ID through the door and opened it, practically licking her lips at the thought of her grilled chicken frozen dinner that would be ready in four minutes flat once she popped it in the microwave. Her stomach growled loudly, and she put a hand over it, memories of that horrible meal she had tried to consume at the restaurant haunting her mind. She shuddered, remembering how it had tasted and looked. Why on earth had it cost so much! She just didn't understand how the world worked! Once again, she felt more than a little glad to be home.

As she stepped out onto the third floor, a door at the end of the hall immediately flew open and she watched in surprise as Hana's head poked out, her eyes roaming over her. "Well?" the dark haired girl asked impatiently. "What did he do? Did he hurt you? What happened?"

Tohru shook her head as she joined her friend at their apartment room. "No, nothing like that," she sighed. "But it wasn't exactly the greatest night of my life either."

Shaking her head, Hanajima led Tohru inside, sympathetically setting her on the couch. "Fear not, Tohru-kun," she said comfortingly. "I shall make some tea and you can tell me all about what transpired tonight. Though I hate to say 'I told you so', I do believe I warned you several times that all men are nothing but unnecessary hardships. I'm sure that Yuki Sohma was no different. He is a _man_, after all."

"Well, I wouldn't say it was all _that_ bad," Tohru said defensively, suddenly feeling a unexplainable need to defend Yuki. "I mean, he really was trying his best..." she paused trying to find something to add. "I guess his best just isn't very good," she finished weakly.

Saki cocked a brow at her, pausing in front of the kitchen. "Interesting..." she murmured slowly before continuing on her way. "Very interesting..."

There wasn't much else Tohru could say after that. She knew she didn't have any real reason to defend Yuki at all, not to mention any means by which to do so. He hadn't exactly given her the best impression of him that night. However, despite all that, she could still appreciate the fact that he had been just doing his best to impress her. It must have been hard for him to do all he had done for her, and at least that was something too, right? Besides, she had to admit, she wasn't the glowing image of innocence either. She hadn't shown the least bit of gratitude for anything he had done, and she had even run out on him in the middle of their dinner, like some kind of spoiled child that hadn't gotten her way. She almost felt ashamed.

A strange yipping sound coming from outside snapped Tohru from her thoughts and she furrowed her brows. What was that? She stood up and went to the window, her eyes roaming around outside. They stopped when they fell on a little ball of fur, bouncing around in the grass beneath her. She let out a surprised laugh and leaned further out to get a better look. That puppy he had gotten for her... had followed her home? Well now, it looked as though the night wasn't quite over after all.

The knocks continued and Yuki groaned, putting his hands over his ears. Why couldn't they just leave him alone! The phone began to ring again for possibly the fifth time that night and Yuki cringed, leaping on the phone and yanking the cord roughly from the wall. The ringing was immediately silenced and a small, satisfied smile came across his face. That is... until he once again became conscious of that horribly incessant knocking on his door.

"S... Sohma-san!" a woman cried loudly, pounding louder from the other side. He could make out the sound of her shoes, scuffing around in the hallway, and silently begged in his mind for her to disappear. "Please! I know you're in there! Why won't you open the door! I just want to talk!"

"Me too! Me too!" Another woman squealed in a high voice. "We just want to say hi! That's all!"

This had to be some kind of nightmare. Maybe he'd wake up and find himself in a garbage can somewhere in a dark alley. But, one couldn't hope too much. That might actually be too good for him right now, because truthfully, this was probably one of the most terrifying nights of his life. The knocking only grew louder and Yuki's eyes widened in fear as he stared at the shaking front door of his apartment. Were there more of them? Maybe they'd all come crashing in at once, break his door down and rape him or something disturbing like that. Of course, that would be a bit difficult, what with the whole him turning into a mouse and whatnot, but anyway...

"I have to get out of here," he muttered to himself. Glancing back nervously at the door, which looked about ready to fly off any minute now, he turned to the large glass window in his living room and slid it open. Slipping onto the balcony, he pulled himself over the stone ledge and began to climb down the fire escape ladder. He didn't exactly have anywhere to go, and it had to be almost midnight by now but anything would be better than this. His apartment was starting to feel like a prison to him anyway, only instead of everyone trying to get out, they were all trying to get in!

As he climbed down the last section of the ladder, he dropped down the ground, landing quietly in the grass. He could almost still hear the shouts of those insane women upstairs, which was hard to believe considering the fact that his apartment was on the twelfth floor.

Yuki let out a deep sigh as he began shuffling along the sidewalk, his hands shoved into his pockets. What a night. First that terrible date with Tohru and now being attacked by a mob of power hungry, possibly mentally disturbed, women. How was it that every single human being on Earth seemed to want him so badly now, and the one person he had really desired practically despised him? "Whatever," he grumbled under his breath. He had barely known her anyway. It wasn't like he was in love with her or anything. His heart lurched in his chest and he gritted his teeth, feeling his anger begin to grow again. Definitely, most definitely not love.

An image of Tohru's crying face entered his mind for split second and he winced. Why did she have to cry? Was he really such a bad person? Had he hurt her that badly that she had to cry like that? Shaking the thoughts from his head, he reminded himself that she was the one at fault. He had done everything in his power to make her happy, perhaps not exactly going about it the best way, but he had still tried, hadn't he! And she couldn't even _pretend _to be grateful! Didn't people usually at least_ act _like they appreciated another person's best efforts? So it wasn't his fault...

It was her fault.

Not his...

He hadn't meant... to make her cry...

Yuki stopped in his tracks abruptly as a head of long, brown hair walked passed him. He spun around, his eyes falling on the woman as she walked away, her face staring low at the ground. Tohru? What was she doing walking down the street this late at night? And all alone too? Wasn't that dangerous? He narrowed his eyes at her in annoyance. He should just keep walking. If she wanted to be like that, and just brush past him as if she didn't know who he was and wander around in the darkness, then that was fine by him.

He turned around to walk away but stopped, letting out a deep breath. "Honda-san," he began quietly. "You shouldn't be out this late." However, the woman ignored him, and continued to walk away. Yuki felt his anger building up inside him again as he watched her. The nerve! "Honda-san!" he called louder, trying to contain his irritation. "I said, it's dangerous to be out this late at night!"

The woman paused, before turning around slowly, and facing him. Even from the distance, he could now make out her face in the pale street light. "Are you talking to me?" she asked in a low voice. "I think you may have mistaken me for someone else."

Yuki nodded slowly in surprise. She was right. This wasn't Honda-san at all. As a matter of fact, it was one of their employees at the Sohma Corporation. She didn't work in the same part of the building as him so he didn't see her often but he definitely recognized her. Her name was... Machi? How had he mistaken her for Tohru? Perhaps they did look a little similar...

Without a word, Machi turned back around and continued down the street, her back disappearing in the darkness. Yuki shook his head, and began walking again as well. He still didn't think it was safe but he supposed he didn't have any right to pry into her business, whatever her reason was for being out here this late. Amazing... how on earth had he mistaken her for Tohru?

"Hana-chan," Tohru teased, laughing quietly to herself. "C'mon, open the door."

"I refuse," Saki replied flatly.

"Please," Tohru begged, knocking lightly on the door. "Kyoko wants to say hi to you."

"G... get that... that _mutt _away," her friend choked from the other side. "I don't like dogs. They're just like men! All slobbery, and dirty, and needy, and I... I just don't like them!"

"Kyoko's a girl," Tohru pointed out.

"It doesn't matter! They're still the same!"

Tohru laughed again, giving the little dog a kiss on the nose as she cuddled it in her arms. "Don't worry," she whispered to the puppy. "I don't think you're all that bad." The dog licked her nose and Tohru hugged the dog even tighter. "You're just so cute!"

"Be careful!" Hana warned from her room, her voice now filled with concern. "It'll attack you! It'll eat you! Run away from it while you still can!"

"Oh don't be silly, Hana-chan," Tohru murmured, giving up on getting Hana to leave her room and carrying the little dog into the kitchen. What was she supposed to feed it? She didn't have any dog food. And she doubted the dog was still so young that it would only drink milk. Well, a little milk couldn't hurt anyway. Setting the puppy down, she opened the fridge and fished out a half finished carton from the back, setting it onto the counter. There were some left over pieces of hamburger too at the bottom of the fridge._ Kyoko would probably like it,_ she reasoned.

She smiled as she said the name to herself. Ever since her mom had died, she had thought about her every day. And now, with this orange ball of fur at her feet, she couldn't help but name the puppy after her. Setting a bowl of milk and the hamburger on the floor, Torhu watched in amusement as the puppy attacked the food, lapping it up at lightening speed as if it had to put as much food into its mouth as possible before something took it away from her. _To think, Yuki Sohma got this dog for me, _Tohru thought to herself in amazement. Maybe she should thank him when Momiji brought her to see him the next day.

"Hey, Kyoko," she said softly as the dog finished off the meat, licking at the plate greedily. "You wanna know a secret?" Kyoko looked up at her, wagging its tale happily as if expecting more food. Tohru bent down closer taking the puppy up into her arms and hugging it fondly. "I think he's really, really cute."

chapter 5- day 2- apology

They were all watching him as the elevator doors slid open, and he stepped out onto the third floor. Yuki could practically see their pity sweating out of their pores as they greeted him good morning. Well, he supposed he couldn't blame them. He was sure his rejection was pretty big news around here, which was common in the business world since none of these people actually had real lives of their own.

"My poor, poor Yuki." A girl with long hair approached him slowly, her hands clutched together over her heart dramatically. "That evil witch rejected you, didn't she?" Motoko let out a small cry, tears springing to her eyes as she dived for him. "Yuki!" Quickly, Yuki dodged out of the way and Motoko soared past him, crashing into the desk. "I... I'm sorry," she stammered as she straightened herself up. "I know you don't like to be touched... but I just can't stand the thought of another girl treating you that way! And after all you did for her! You must have felt so... so foolish!"

"Well, thank you for your concern," Yuki replied dryly. Letting out a deep breath, he tried to smile. "Please don't worry too much about me. I'm fine."

"Yuki," Motoko whimpered, coming closer to him again. She grabbed his hand, clutching it tightly in her own. "Why won't you marry me? You know I'd never do something like that to you. I'd love you forever and ever and ever!"

"That might make your husband jealous, don't you think?" Yuki asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'll divorce him!" Motoko said quickly. "You know you're the only one I've ever loved. I swear it!"

"I apologize, but I'll have to pass," Yuki said abruptly, turning away and heading toward his office. Amazing, simply amazing. Even married women now? A shiny gold name plate hanging from a closed door caught his eye as he walked and Yuki shuddered, quickening his pace. Akito Sohma. The man was about as friendly as a lead pipe and lucky for Yuki, the bastard seemed to take out all that bitterness and anger on him personally. Now, Yuki wasn't sure what he had done exactly to deserve such an honor of growing up with Akito's abuse, but that was a question he had learned to stop asking.

From what Yuki had heard, the Sohma corporation had used to belong to Akito Sohma alone, but as the years passed and his health failed him, it had been turned over to Ayame... though Yuki had always failed to understand what redeeming qualities his brother could possibly have that would make him worthy of owning the entire business. Nonetheless, Akito seemed happier with this arrangement, since he still held a great deal of the power without as much of the stressful responsibility. And, particularly these last few years, he had seemed to be hanging at a point between life and death with his illnesses and poor health, completely bedridden and unable to leave his home. Poor guy, now all Yuki needed to do was care, because truthfully, if Akito dropped dead tonight, Yuki wouldn't even bat an eye.

The door to his office came into view and Yuki entered, taking a seat on his black cushioned, spinning chair. Leaning back, the chair tilted comfortably and Yuki closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. This was going to be a long day. His lids shot open again as he felt a warm breath on his cheek and finger tips resting lightly on his arm. A grinning face, with blindingly bright blue eyes came into view, framed by thick black lashes that were most likely fake.

"Oh Sohma-san," the girl whispered, bending down closer to him. She pressed her lips against his, running a hand through his hair and Yuki pushed her off, scooting the chair backwards.

"Please Minami-san," Yuki sighed as he stood up. "I don't have time for this right now."

Minami pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "You never want to play with me anymore," she whined. "You know how much I love you! Why do you need to look for a wife when you have me! Why can't we get married?" Pushing him away, she looked up at the ceiling in frustration. "I... I just don't understand you!"

That's it. Yuki wanted to shoot himself right now and just end it all. Minami was fond of barging in when he least expected it and molesting him in ways he didn't care to be molested. It was only by pure luck that he had always managed to get away from her before she accidentally made him transform in front of every employee there and expose the Sohma's family secret. "Minami-san, don't you have work to do?" he asked finally.

"I'm taking my break," she huffed. She kneeled down in front of him, resting her elbows on her knees and sighing. "I heard about those women from our company that tried to break into your home last night. They were arrested weren't they? Its a shame, I think one of my friends was there too..." she trailed off when she saw Yuki turned to his computer, typing away and completely ignoring her. Narrowing her eyes, she glared up at him angrily. "You know, you can act like the victim all you want for being rejected by that girl last night," she spat. "But how do you think it feels when you do it to us? You're always pushing everyone away... do you think we're immune to feeling sad? Do you think you're the only person that hurts?"

"I really am busy, Minami-san," Yuki broke in briskly. "Please leave."

Shrugging, Minami pulled herself to her feet and turned to the door. "Just don't blame me if you end up alone," she muttered.

Yuki glared after her before turning his chair back to face his desk and computer. Maybe if he built an electric fence around his office, he could fend off these unwelcome visitors much easier. Beside his computer were several boxes of chocolate and flowers and Yuki groaned, pushing them aside. It was so obvious that all these woman wanted was to marry him for his position and wealth. He actually found himself looking forward to the end of the week. When it was through and Yuki most certainly failed to acquire a wife, life could go back to being more normal and not filled with these trivial episodes.

"Are you sure this is all right?" Torhu asked Momiji nervously.

The blond man grinned, retrieving a spare key from the top of the door frame. "Don't worry!" he laughed. "Yuki'll be thrilled to know he's got a friend. Besides, I _am_ his cousin, so I can barge into his home uninvited as often as I like! Trust me, I do it all the time!"

Tohru furrowed her brows. Somehow she highly doubted Yuki would actually agree with that logic, especially since she was there. Most likely he'd call the police when he found them in his apartment and permanently label her as a strange stalker type person. "But what if he's mad when he comes home?" she asked weakly.

Shrugging, Momiji turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open. "Guess we'll find out when the time comes, won't we." The tall man stepped inside, collapsing on the couch and sighing contentedly. "Yuki is just so lucky!" he exclaimed. "To get to live in a fancy place like this!"

Torhu couldn't help but agree as she looked around the room. It had a sleek, sophisticated feel to it that surprised her and made her wonder who he must have hired to decorate the room. The walls were plain white, with a decorative silver border along the top and bottom and the carpet was thick and cream colored. The furniture was all black leather and glass tables and silvery velvet curtains. Tohru walked over to the wall where several gorgeous Chinese watercolor paintings hung on scrolls. What amazed her the most though were the well tended for potted plants hanging up in the corner of the rooms and on the shelves. They added a bit of natural beauty in a room that would have otherwise felt cold and impersonal.

Stepping into the white and black marbled floor that was the kitchen, Tohru grimaced as she saw the huge pile of dishes in the sink and the overflowing trash cans and microwavable food packages laying all over the counter. "So what should we do while we're waiting for him to come home?" Tohru asked finally.

"Doesn't matter," Momiji replied with a grin. "I was just going to watch tv." He verified this fact by fishing the remote from underneath the leather cushions and turning it on.

"Do you think he'd mind if I cleaned up a little?" Tohru asked uncertainly. Somehow the sight of the horrid condition the kitchen was in simply... pained her.

"If you want," Momiji said, his eyes glued to the television screen. "Don't know why you'd want to though."

Deciding, Tohru entered the marbled room, her nose curling up as a foul odor wafted toward her. She approached the sink and found that the culprit was the pile of unwashed dishes from god knew how long ago. Pulling on a pair of rubber gloves she found lying by the stove, she dunked her hands into the water and attacked the dishes with powerful scrubbing and lots of soap.

As she washed, her eyes roamed to the empty paper cartons of Chinese take-out and microwavable dinners on the counter. The life of a bachelor, she mused. Maybe she could even try and make him something to eat before he came home? She shook the thought from her mind immediately. What was she thinking! She was already barging into his home uninvited! And the only reason why she was here was to apologize! Not to clean up his home and make him dinner. Besides, she'd only met the man the night before!

However, unconsciously, she was already drying the cleaned dishes and placing them into the cupboard. Snapping back to reality, she realized the sink was already cleaned and empty. She bit her lip, her eyes glued to the garbage piled high on the counters. _Must not clean... Must not clean... Must not... _But it was too late. She had already lunged at the empty packages, filling an entire plastic garbage bag and tying it up tightly. A satisfied smile crossed her face before she realized she had done it again. He was going to think she was crazy!

Sighing, Tohru grabbed a sponge and began to scrub at the counters till they were completely spotless. _Might as well just finish the job..._ she thought. She'd already proven she was an insane stalker. Why not just go all the way with it then? Walking over to the fridge, she pulled it open, trying to decide to what to cook when there was so little to work with.

_Ah, only five more days of hell to go_, Yuki mused as he approached his front door. After a nice, painfully long day of work, it felt good to be able to come home and do... more work. Slipping his key into the lock, he frowned when he realized it was already open. Had he forgotten to lock the door? Probably not. An amused smirk crossed his face as he realized who it was. "Momiji," he called as he pushed the door open. "I thought I told you to stop barging in here. Go home."

He found Momiji sleeping on the couch in front of the tv, a drop of drool running down from the corner of his mouth. It was amazing. No matter how old Momiji got, no matter how tall he grew or how much older he looked, he always seemed to have that childish Momiji quality that never disappeared. And he always managed to show up at the most inappropriate times when Yuki was busiest, asking him to play some video game he had gotten for his game cube that simply_ had _to have two players, or something else ridiculously unimportant like that.

A strange smell filled his senses as he walked further into the living room. He furrowed his brows as he realized it smelled good... It smelled like food. Turning the corner, he froze when he saw Tohru standing in front of the stove, stirring a big pot. Jumping back, he ran over to Momiji on the couch and gave him a kick.

"Hah? What?" Momiji yawned, his eyes slowly opening. "Oh Yuki! You're home!"

"What is she doing here?" Yuki hissed, pointing to the kitchen.

"I brought her!" Momiji stated proudly.

"Damn it! I figured that! But why did you bring her! I hate her! She... she's mean!"

"Tohru's mean?" Momiji laughed, pulling himself up from the couch. "Yeah, right! She even came all this way to apologize for last night." He gave Yuki a grin and puckered his lips together. "Yuki's gonna get laid!"

"Die!"

"Oh... uh S... Sohma-san," Tohru said in surprise as she looked out from the kitchen. "I didn't know you were home already..." she looked down at the spoon in her hand and self-consciously laid it on the counter. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I know it was a bit presumptuous of me to come here and...er... but I wanted to say... I just... well, I had some time before you came home so I thought I'd just... clean a little and..."

Yuki watched her, not sure what to say. He came a little closer, his eyes moving to the empty sink and the clean counter. It... it was white and black? Who knew! So then, all that green and red and yellow hadn't been part of it at all. Wow, this place really was clean. Shaking his head, he pressed his fingers over his closed eyelids. "Why are you here?" he asked finally.

"I just wanted to apologize," Tohru murmured quietly. "I realize you went through a lot of trouble last night... but... don't you think you were trying too hard? I mean... if you wanted me to like you... you should be yourself... and not try and win someone over with gifts and cute little dogs... though that poodle was extremely cute and followed me home and I named her Kyoko... but yeah... I guess that's all I wanted to say."

Looking at her carefully, Yuki leaned back against the counter, folding his arms in front of him. "It's... all right then," he said quietly. "I know I may have sounded like a jerk last night... I just couldn't seem to say the right things. I guess I was trying a little too hard." He looked down in surprise at the hand in front of him and found Tohru smiling cheerfully at him.

"Then its all settled. We can start over again," she said happily. "Friends?"

Slowly, Yuki took her hand, his cheeks flushing. "Friends."

Chapter 6- day 2- saying ridiculous things

Things were going so fast. It was hard to believe that one minute, Tohru was fumbling at work, worrying over how she would apologize to Yuki, and the next, eating dinner with him as if they were old friends. She looked over at him again, feeling her heartbeat quickening in her chest. Did he even realize how handsome he was?

The table they were sitting at, of course, matched all the other beautiful furniture in his home, and Tohru looked down in admiration at the shiny black and glass surface. What was she doing here? Had she really just made dinner for him? Was she really eating dinner with him like this?

"Mmm, this is so yummy!" Momiji exclaimed as he devoured the stew. Tohru's head shot up to face him as she snapped back to reality. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts, she had almost forgotten that Momiji was here as well. "You're an awesome cook Tohru!" he continued.

"Oh, thank you," Tohru replied cheerfully. She glanced over at Yuki who seemed well at ease now and was enjoying the stew she had made.

"You're right Momiji," he said as he swallowed another mouthful. "This really is good Honda-san."

"Th... thank you," Tohru stammered, her cheeks heating up. Somehow the compliment caught her off guard. His voice sounded... so warm... so friendly. How could this possibly be the same person from last night? This man, the one sitting before her right now, almost seemed... nice.

"So you did actually keep the dog?" Yuki asked, his voice amused. He looked up at her and Tohru's breath caught in her throat as her eyes locked with his piercing violet ones. Looking back down at her food, she couldn't help but feel her face turn bright red. She had been staring at him, hadn't she. She wondered if he noticed.

"Y... yeah," Tohru grinned. "Kyoko is just so cute. Hana-chan was absolutely terrified at first though. I think she's afraid of dogs... but Kyoko is so sweet and little that after awhile, I think she got used to her."

"Any reason in particular why you decided to name her Kyoko?" Yuki asked in curiosity.

"Oh well," Tohru began quietly. "Kyoko was my mom's name... before she died... I guess I was kind of young when she did... only about sixteen... but I suppose its silly to name your pet after your mom isn't it..."

"No, I don't think its silly at all," Yuki insisted. "Its nice that you used her name..."

Torhu smiled before looking back down at the table, her reflection shining off of it. "Yeah... I guess it is..." Trailing off, she poked at her stew a little before taking a small sip. It was a little hard to eat with the two of them here. It was making her feel self conscious, like she was on the verge of knocking the bowl onto her lap or dripping it all over her clothes or something else amusing like that. Not amusing for her of course, but if it did happen, she was sure everyone else would probably think it was pretty darn funny. "But... what about you?" she asked finally, trying to add something to the conversation. "How are your parents."

She watched him pause for a moment before taking a sip of soup and closing his eyes. "They're... fine." He finally said quietly. Frowning, Tohru wondered if she had said something to offend him. Feeling a bit guilty for having made him feel uncomfortable, Tohru squirmed in her chair a little, trying to think of something else to say. Hmm, so apparently mentioning his parents wasn't a good idea after all.

"Hey I know!" Momiji said quickly, as if trying to change the subject. "I have a movie in my car. Want me to go get it? It'll give us something to do."

"Sure, that'll be fine," Yuki agreed, nodding. He turned to Tohru. "Of course, its up to you. Do you mind?"

Tohru couldn't help but smile a little as she nodded as well. "I'd love to watch it," she replied. Definitely not the same person, she couldn't help but think. Yuki was a totally different person from the man she had been with last night.

Leaning forward from his seat on the couch, counting, counting, counting. Kyo furrowed his brows as he counted out his one dollar bills and quarters from his tips he had made at work. _Lets see now, 42.00, 42.50, 42.75, 43.75, 45.25. _Two slender arms wrapped over his shoulders, embracing him tightly from behind and he felt a warm breath brush against the back of his neck. Groaning, he turned around, narrowing his eyes in annoyance. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

Kagura hugged him tighter, kissing him on the cheek. "Always so grumpy when you get home from work," she murmured.

"Maybe because I work in a retarded diner for two dollars an hour," he grumbled angrily. "While the rest of the family gets some sweet office job making a hundred grand a year, the bastards." So maybe he was in a bad mood, but so what. How would she feel if she had just worked a nine hour shift and brought home barely over forty dollars? Kagura wasn't an outcast like he was. She was able to work at the family company just like everyone else. It was no big mystery why she couldn't understand how he felt.

"Speaking of family..." Kagura began thoughtfully. "Have you heard about Yuki? They say he's going to be promoted. He's going to be in charge of this new section of the company they're opening." She laughed a little to herself. "But Ayame told him he could only do it if he found a wife for himself by the end of this week. Isn't that the most ridiculous thing you ever heard?"

What the hell was this woman thinking! He was already in a bad mood and then she goes and brings up that damned rat! Kyo gritted his teeth together angrily, trying to control the anger building up inside him. So Yuki was gonna get married, and get an even better job making even more damned money than he already was. The very thought of it pissed him off so much. How could life be so freaking unfair? And here Kyo was, engaged to Kagura of all people! "Why does my life suck so bad!" Kyo retorted angrily, knocking one of Kagura's arms off of him. "Just get the hell off of me, all right?"

"Kyo-kun," Kagura sighed, pulling away from him. "I wasn't trying to make you mad. I was just telling you. I'd rather die than lose you, you know that don't you. I just love you so much..."

"Just shut up!" Kyo yelled, cutting her off. He could feel a strange kind of rage boiling up inside him. A feeling of self-loathing and self-pity that seemed to pool in the bottom of his gut, making him feel nauseous. "I swear, every freaking day its the same thing. I don't know why I have to live like this any way." He glared at her accusingly, wanting to blame the disgusting feeling on her, as if that would relieve it. "Why the hell are we even together! I can't stand you! I never could!"

Kagura looked at him in shock, her lips parted but unable to speak. "Finally, she narrowed her eyes, her anger matching his. "What is that supposed to mean!" she spat viciously. "You think life is so bad now? You think its just some big bully picking on you? Well, it could have been a hell of a lot worse and you know that."

Throwing down the money, Kyo jumped to his feet. "Don't you dare bring this up again," he warned dangerously. "Don't you give me that 'you owe me shit.' Who says that life with you is any better than..."

"Damn it, Kyo," Kagura screamed finally, smacking him across the face. Her eyes welled up with tears as she turned away and ran out of the room. "When did I ever say you owe me!"

The walls, the furniture, the little framed pictures on her shelf, the books on her desk, the angel statue sitting beside her candles, all of them could just come crashing down to the ground, with a satisfying crash. Machi swept a hand over her book shelf, knocking them over and letting them tumble to the floor. She pushed over the coffee table, a lamp falling over and shattering into thousands of pieces of glass. Finally, she crumpled to the floor, breathing heavily. All of it... could just disappear for all she cared. Maybe then she could disappear too.

Looking up at the catastrophe that was her apartment living room, her gaze swept over the piles of broken ceramic and glass, the shredded pieces of paper, and broken television set. It had happened again. Somehow, the sadness, the loneliness and despair that always seemed to overwhelm her had taken over again. When that happened, the only thing she could do, to alleviate the pain was to take it out on her surroundings.

She thought of Yuki Sohma, who she had passed by the night before. She didn't know why she was thinking of him, but somehow he fascinated her. He always seemed so calm and collected, so in control of his life, not to mention the fact that every female coworker claimed that they were madly in love him. And yet, she sensed that their perception of him was off. Couldn't they see it? Were they so blind that they couldn't see the truth behind his mask? He was really just like her, the woman no one noticed, the woman no one seemed to see or acknowledge. He was lonely. He was sad. Yuki Sohma was just like her. "Yuki..."

Yuki felt his nose twitch a little, and rubbed it with the back of his hand. What an uncomfortable feeling. He glanced over at Tohru who was still finishing her soup. It was certainly taking her long enough to eat. Why did she look so tense all of a sudden? As soon as Momiji had left the room to retrieve a video from his car, she had looked about as nervous as she had the night before on their date. Sighing, he looked down at his empty bowl. Obviously, she didn't like being around him. He supposed that couldn't be helped. He rubbed his nose again self-consciously before sneezing loudly.

"Bless you," Tohru piped up automatically, looking up at him. She smiled awkwardly for a second before adding with a little laugh. "They say that every time you sneeze, someone's talking about you."

Yuki smiled weakly in return. "I could believe that." And he knew exactly who the people talking about him were too! They were those damned females at work that were all plotting together to make his life a living hell! He watched Tohru for a moment before looking away, feeling his cheeks flush a little. She really was pretty. He hadn't meant to stare at her either but somehow he couldn't help it. It were as if his eyes were drawn to her face, memorizing every detail he could. What was it about her that drew him to her like this?

However, what amazed him the most was the fact that she was even here. After that horrible night, he couldn't believe that she could come to his home of all places to apologize as if everything had been her fault. Obviously, she was a much bigger person than he was, since he had been more than willing to let the blame fall on her shoulders alone. It was pathetic when he thought about it.

Yuki wanted to be like that too, someone who was strong.

"I wonder what movie Momiji-kun is going to bring," Tohru said cheerfully. "It'll be fun getting to watch it together.

Nodding in agreement, Yuki picked up his bowl, and stood up. "Knowing him, it'll probably have lots of furry things," he joked, more to himself than her.

"Does Momiji-kun like animals?"

"You could say that," Yuki replied, setting his bowl in the sink. Ah, time to start piling up the dishes again. Since Tohru, for some strange reason, had done the amazing thing of cleaning his kitchen, it would take him weeks before he could build it up to its usual state of putrid perfection again. Better start now or he may get a little too used to this cleanliness.

"I'm back!" Momiji squealed happily as he flung the front door open. Yuki cringed as he saw the dent it made in the wall as it slammed against it. "So, what did you two love birds do while I was gone?"

Yuki made a face, wanting to throw something at Momiji's head. Couldn't he just be quiet? Tohru was going to think that he had feelings for her or something, which was totally not the case... he had only known her for a day... so he couldn't possibly...

"Fantasizing about her again, I see," Momiji nodded, suddenly only inches from Yuki's face. "So I guess nothing happened after all. Poor Yuki."

"Momiji, shut up!" Yuki shouted, blushing fiercely despite himself. "I don't know why you insist on saying such... such ridiculous things."

"It's all right Sohma-san," Tohru laughed. "You don't have to worry. I know he's just joking."

"Always getting so flustered," Momiji sighed, taking the dvd he had in his hand and placing it in the dvd player. He grinned to himself, knowing he was just making Yuki angrier.

"I am not flustered," Yuki mumbled, crossing his arms in front of him and sitting down on the couch. For crying out loud, sometimes the whole world just seemed to be against him.

chapter 7- day 2- like a bird

H... How sad... Tohru blinked her eyes as tears began to well up in them... A sob escaped her throat and she covered her face with her hands, crying softly. It was just too sad. Why... why did it have to be that way? Why couldn't things just work out? Didn't they deserve it? After all they had been through, didn't they deserve to be happy?

"Honda-san," Yuki began uncertainly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"I... I just feel so bad for them," she choked. "They... they deserve to be together! Poor Romeo and Juliet!"

"Maybe watching this was a bad idea," Yuki whispered to Momiji.

"But it was the only movie I had in the trunk," Momiji protested. "Besides, she likes it." He turned to Tohru, smiling cheerfully. "Don't you, Tohru? You like the movie right?"

"I love it," she choked, tears streaming down her face. As soon as the credits rolled, she jumped to her feet, running to the bathroom where she attacked a roll of toilet paper and wiped at her wet eyes and nose.

Yuki appeared by the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face as he peeked in at her, and Tohru looked down self consciously at the soggy tissue in her hand. She could imagine she probably didn't exactly look her best right at this moment, what with the snot running down from her nose, and her eyes being all red and puffy.

"Well, I guess I better be a going," Momiji sang from the living room, causing both Yuki and Tohru to turn to look at the blond man. "I'll just leave you two love birds alone."

Her eyes widening, Tohru hurried out of the bathroom, leaving a bewildered Yuki still leaning against the door frame. She stopped in front of Momiji, looking up pleadingly at him. "Please don't leave..." she whispered, casting a nervous glance back over at Yuki. "I ... I won't feel comfortable here by myself." She began to tap her foot anxiously against the floor, trying to keep herself calm.

"You'll be fine," Momiji replied quietly. "Just give him a chance." Tohru bit her lip, thinking it over for a moment. It had been nice here so far... but that was because Momiji was around to lighten the mood. Would it become awkward again once he left? However, Tohru nodded slowly. Just give Yuki a chance? Maybe that was all she needed to do.

"All right," Tohru murmured.

Momiji grinned. "Have fun," he laughed, giving a little bow. Then he was out the door, leaving Tohru and Yuki alone in the apartment. Yuki came up to her, his eyes refusing to meet hers. "You don't have to force yourself to stay," he said quietly. Tohru winced, feeling ashamed of herself. He had probably heard what she said to Momiji.

"Well...if you want me to leave, I'll go," she replied softly. "But if its all right with you... I'd like to stay a little longer."

Yuki stayed silent for a moment and Tohru wondered if he was going tell her he didn't want her there anymore. Kick her to the curb, tell her to go, be gone, never come back, sayonara, adios, see ya later, hasta la vista... "All right then," he replied finally with a smile. "I'm afraid I'm not much of a host though..."

"Don't worry about it," Tohru said quickly, unable to keep her cheeks from flushing slightly. She couldn't help but feel surprised. She still half expected him to tell her to leave and quit bothering him, but apparently, that wasn't going to happen after all. So what now? The idea of staying alone in his apartment still made her feel uneasy. Maybe a more public setting would help put them both at ease with one another. "Would you like to go for a walk with me then?" she asked brightly.

There were times when Kyo really just could not stand Kagura. He made a face as she screamed loudly about something or another. What the hell was she so mad about this time anyway? Kagura screeched again and Kyo cringed. Why was he putting up with this! Ah, to hell with it. "Listen Kagura," Kyo said flatly. "I'm sick of your bitching."

"Well, do I sound like I'm through with you yet!" Kagura screamed, hitting him for what seemed like the fifth time that day. Where the hell did all that girl's strength come from anyway? When she hit him, it hurt. "I don't care how much you..."  
"No Kagura, I don't think you understand what I'm getting out," Kyo spat, placing a hand over his stinging cheek. "I'm sick of this." Turning around he marched into their bedroom, grabbing a bag and filling it with the few articles of clothing he owned, and shoving his wallet into his pocket. "I'm getting out of here," he muttered.

"W... wait," Kagura sputtered in shock, her eyes wide. "I...I... I don't understand... where are you going?"

"Where the hell does it look like I'm going!" Kyo shouted incredulously. "Away from you! I don't know why we even got together in the first place!"

"But... but we were going to get married," Kagura whimpered meekly, tugging on his arm. "K... Kyo-kun. You can't leave me like this."

"Just watch me," he shot back, yanking his arm free from her grasp. He slung the handle of the bag over his shoulder, and stalked out of the apartment. As he walked along the sidewalk, Kagura following close behind. He groaned. Where the heck was he supposed to go now anyway?

He turned around, and Kagura darted behind a tree, her foot still visible from behind it. Rolling his eyes, Kyo kept walking. And did Kagura actually think that she was hiding? He could hear her quick footsteps as she tried to catch up with him. "Kagura," Kyo called loudly. There was no reply and Kyo turned around again, watching as Kagura ran behind a parked car and ducked down. "Damn it!" Kyo shouted exasperated. "You know I can still see you, don't you!" He could hear quiet sobs from behind the car and felt like screaming at the top of his lungs to let out his frustration.

Hmm, just maybe... maybe he could try a different approach. If he could make Kagura hate him, then she would leave him alone. Obviously, hating her wasn't going to get them anywhere, since she had some sort of strange immunity to things like that, so maybe he should just make her hate him. "Kagura," he said again loudly. "I have a confession to make. I've been cheating on you."

"WHAT?" Kagura screeched, leaping out from behind the car and landing on Kyo's unsuspecting form. The two went crashing down to the ground, Kyo's bones making a sickening crack from beneath Kagura's body as he came in contact with the sidewalk. "You... you're lying!" she cried, tears streaming down her face as she looked down at him. "You're lying!'

"No, I'm not," Kyo choked, trying to her push her off of him. When he had succeeded, he looked in satisfaction at her distressed face, and pulled himself up to his feet. Good, now maybe he could get the hell away from her.

"With who!" she shrieked. Kagura jumped to her feet as well, pushing him hard. "Who! Who was it! Who was the bitch that stole you away from me!"

She began beating on his chest with her fists, and Kyo sighed, taking her wrists and pulling her them away. Maybe this wasn't such a grand idea after, but it seemed to be working anyway. Glancing to the side, he noticed a woman with long brown hair walking by. She looked to be around his age... and he could've sworn he had seen her somewhere before... "with her," he mumbled.

"Wh... what?" Kagura asked quietly, pulling away. She looked over at the girl with long hair and took a step back. "She's the... one?"

"Yeah," Kyo nodded quickly. "I came out here to meet her."

Without a word, Kagura turned around and ran away. Kyo looked down at his feet in shame. Maybe he'd gone a little too far... Glancing back up, his jaw dropped open when he saw Yuki run up to the girl and hand her a can of juice. He said something and she smiled shyly, taking the can from him. So that girl... was going out with YUKI OF ALL PEOPLE. Kyo looked at the couple darkly. That damned rat... he was always doing this.

_The monster..._

Kyo had been the only Sohma not allowed to work for the Sohma corporation. Instead, he had gotten a crappy job at that stupid diner making two bucks an hour (plus tips).

_The monster should be locked up..._

And Yuki... that damned rat had been placed at the very top, manager of the entire business in their city. And now this. Using this girl so he could get even further. It was all his fault. All his fault that they treated Kyo like this.

_Send him away... the monster should be locked up..._

Kyo narrowed his eyes. Not this time. This time Kyo was going to be the one to win. And it appeared he had just found a way to beat that stupid Yuki. That damned rat... he shouldn't be allowed to have everything that he wanted. He watched Yuki as he smiled fondly at the girl. It made Kyo feel sick to his stomach. Even if he could only make Yuki feel a fraction of what he had felt his entire life, he would do it. He would take that girl from him, make him lose that deal or bet or whatever it was he had made with Ayame. This was his revenge.

_The monster should be locked up forever... but instead... we'll let him do as he wishes. However, only under the condition that he stays away from the rest of the family, and shall never be allowed to hold a job with the Sohma corporation, our family business. He should be locked up... but instead... we'll simply send him away..._

Kyo watched the two from the distance as they sat together on a bench in the park and his fingers ran self consciously over the beads on his wrist.

"Thank you Sohma-san," Tohru said cheerfully, as she sipped the can of juice. She looked out at all the greenery around them and sat back contentedly on the bench. This was just so nice. She had never dreamed she would enjoy herself so much with him.

"Hey, look at that," Yuki laughed as a bird hopped closer to them. It tilted its head to the side before flapping its wings and flying onto the edge of the bench.

Tohru smiled at it in awe. "It doesn't seem to be afraid of us at all, does it?" Slowly, she reached for her purse and flipped it open, pulling out a small package of broken crackers. The bird jumped back, watching her carefully. Opening the pack, she tossed a few gently forward, several large crumbs landing beside them on the bench. Then she poured the rest into the palm of her hand and stayed still. The bird watched her cautiously before pecking at the small crumbs. After a moment's hesitation, it hopped onto the side of her hand and began to nibble from her palm. "Its really eating from my hand," she exclaimed quietly, laughing silently to herself.

Yuki nodded, smiling at her and took a few crumbs into his own palm. "Do you think it'll trust me too?" he asked uncertainly. He extended his hand forward and the bird jumped back in surprise, fluttering wildly before flying up and landing on a branch over their heads. "I'm sorry about that," Yuki stammered. "I didn't mean to scare it away."

"Don't worry about it," Tohru grinned, shaking her head. "Here, you have to do it like this." She gently took hold of his palm, and arranged the bits of cracker till they were piled in the center. Then she let him relax his hand, resting it on his knee. "The bird will come to you," she said softly. "Sometimes... the more you chase it, the more frightened it'll become. But just wait a little... and the bird will come to you..." Moments later, the small bird came fluttering down from the branch, looking up at them from the wooden seat of the bench. It hopped forward a few times, landing on his leg and pecked greedily at the dry crackers.

Yuki smiled, looking up at Tohru, and she felt her heart leap a little in her chest. "You're right... the bird came to me."

It was simply amazing... Yuki couldn't believe how well the night had gone. It was simply... amazing... for lack of a better way to describe it. He was really beginning to feel comfortable around Tohru... and he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if she could always be with him like this... like say perhaps... if they were married. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he led Tohru up to the door of her apartment building.

"Thanks for walking me home," she said shyly, looking up at him, her cheeks a pale pink.

"Honda-san," he began quietly. "I was wondering... would you care to join me tomorrow? You don't have to if you don't want to... I was just thinking maybe... we could go for a boat ride... and its really quite fun... but if you don't want to then..."

"I'd love to," Tohru broke in, pressing a finger to his lips. She smiled broadly at him before opening the door to the apartment building. "Goodnight, Sohma-san."

"Goodnight," Yuki replied, feeling as though his breath had been taken away. He watched her as she went into the building and made her way to the elevator, not noticing the little orange cat that sped in through the crack of the door, just before it closed. Turning around, Yuki let out a deep breath, unable to believe what had happened. It was amazing. Last night, he had done all in his power to make her like him... everything he could possibly think of... and instead, she ran away.

_I scared her... _Yuki pondered thoughtfully to himself. _I scared her away because I chased her... but then she came back to me because I didn't do anything... just like a bird._

Kyo froze in front of the closed elevator doors as he changed back from a cat into a man. Why hadn't he thought about the clothes issue! Oh clothes! Clothes! Where for art thou clothes! He couldn't very well march up to her apartment butt naked and expect to sweep her off her feet! Or could he...? NO! He definitely could not. Racing around in circles, he ended up in the apartment's laundry room and nearly shouted out with joy.

_Oh, thank you dearest person who forgot to pick up their laundry,_ Kyo thought silently to himself. He reached into the dryer and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. A bit too big, but they fit well enough... and at least they were clothes! He'd just have to return them later, he reasoned with himself.

Running out of the room, Kyo looked at the little blinking light of the elevator as it stopped on the number three. So that girl's room was on the third floor? Well, not that he especially liked being all stalker like or anything but this was something he had to do! A man had to prove himself once in awhile! It was a man's duty!

Now, if he took the elevator, he'd most likely miss her because it would take too long to get back down to the first floor. Deciding, he began racing up the stairs, taking them two at a time. When he reached the top of the third floor, he came tumbling out into the hallway, his eyes darting back and forth. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a head of long brown hair entering a room. It was her! It had to be! Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the door and knocked loudly. Moments later, a large, extremely overweight woman with long, stringy hair, pulled up in a pony tail answered the door.

"Why hello there," the woman said, a blush coming to her cheeks. "And who may you be?"

"Ah... ermmm," Kyo stammered. "I think I may have the wrong room. Is there anyone else that lives here?"

"No one else," the woman cooed, batting her eyelashes in what she must have believed was a seductive way. "Just little ol' me." She smiled, and Kyo's eyes couldn't help but zoom on the fact that she was missing one of her front teeth... Freaky... "I was just eating dinner... you're welcome to join me if you like."

"I don't think so lady," Kyo retorted, his eyes still glued to the empty gap in her teeth. "I'm a little busy right now." Spinning around, he began running in the opposite direction, a shiver running down his spine. He was probably going to have nightmares about that hideous woman and her missing tooth for the next few weeks or so. He closed his eyes and a mental image of the woman spinning in circles and singing filled his mind. Aghhh! Make it go away!

"I'll be right back Hana-chan," a female voice called from the other side of the hallway. "I think I dropped my watch on the elevat..." Kyo stopped in his tracks as she walked in front of him and the woman trailed off, her eyes glued to his face. "K... Kyo-san?"

"Uh... yeah, that's me..." Kyo mumbled, his face flushed. Wait, how did she know his name?

chapter 8- day 2- love or something like that

Tohru was at a loss for words. What was Kyo doing here? The guy from the diner that she had had a crush on for nearly a year! The guy who had the pretty girlfriend with short, dark hair... What was he doing here in her apartment building? She noticed the perplexed look on his face and realized he didn't remember her at all. Well, that made sense. She had really only talked to him that one time when he had waited on their table. "I... I remember you from that diner..." Tohru explained self-consciously. "You... waited on my table... remember?"

"Yeah... that's right," Kyo nodded suddenly. "I thought I recognized you from somewhere..." he looked down at the ground and Tohru wondered what he was thinking.

Hmmm, this was quite awkward. Tohru shifted uncomfortably in the position she was standing in. Was she supposed to say something else now? Or just leave? When she thought about it, she supposed it really wasn't any of her business why he was here anyway... probably just visiting a friend or something. She had just been so shocked to see him, she couldn't help it. "Soooo..." Tohru began slowly. "I guess I'll just be going then... It was nice seeing you." Kyo didn't say anything and with a shrug, Tohru turned to walk away.

"W... wait," a voice mumbled quietly behind her. For a second, Tohru wasn't even sure if she had heard it or not and kept walking. "Wait!" it called a little louder. Stopping in surprise, Tohru stopped and faced him again.

"Yes?"

Kyo could feel a drop of sweat run down the side of his face as he struggled to speak. Why was this so damn hard! He didn't know her, he shouldn't give a damn what she thought about him anyway, so why couldn't he seem to speak! Closing his eyes, he tried to remind himself why he was doing this. There was a reason! For revenge! For revenge on that damned rat who always seemed to get everything in the world! It just wasn't fair! Kyo couldn't let him have this girl too! Yuki didn't deserve her or that job!

"Umm, you did just tell me to wait, didn't you?" Tohru asked uncertainly.

Wanting to kick himself, Kyo nodded. She probably thought he was all psychotic now. And maybe she wouldn't be too far off the mark either. He DID follow her to her apartment, didn't he. That had to qualify for some kind of weird stalkerish behavior. But damn it! It was all for the sake of making that rat's life miserable! So it had to definitely be worth his pride.

"I... I'll just be going then," Tohru said slowly, taking a step back.

"I just wanted to ask you out on a date," Kyo blurted out suddenly. Tohru's eyes widened in surprise and she looked down at the floor, her face blushing bright red. "I... uh... fell in love with you when I waited on your table the other day... or something like that... and uh, that's why! So, let's do something together, like tomorrow maybe..."

Tohru bit her lip and Kyo knew right away that there was probably a more... tactful way he could have gone about saying that. There was no way on earth she could believe a lie that ludicrous anyway. How could he fall in love with a girl he had served at a restaurant in the first place? It was all so stupid. Maybe he should have come up with something better... like maybe he was her long lost childhood friend or something. Ah damn, now Yuki was definitely going to win and get to have this girl too. That really pissed him off...

"Umm," Tohru mumbled, refusing to make eye contact with him. "I... I don't know. Don't... don't you already have a girlfriend? I... I saw you together once..." Looking up, she shook her head frantically. "I mean! Not that I was like, trying to watch you or anything, or like followed you, or anything weird like that. You were outside the restaurant with her so... I couldn't help but see you two..."

"Ohhh, that," Kyo stammered. Now this wasn't good. Nothing was working out the way he planned. Agh, if only Yuki had fallen for a girl that didn't know who Kyo was at all. This probably would have been a lot easier. "Well...ahh... we broke up... I told her how uh... in love with you... I was... and so, she said that all she wants is for me to be happy."

"I see," Tohru said uncertainly. She paused, as if looking for some other excuse why she couldn't go out with him and Kyo scowled in annoyance. Fine then, she could just be that way. "The thing is," Tohru murmured quietly. "I'm kind of... well, I suppose I haven't known him all that long... but I'm kind of seeing this guy... and I think I really like him. I promised to go for a boat ride with him tomorrow... so that's why... I can't go out with you... I'm sorry."

Looking down, Kyo didn't say anything. Even if he didn't really give a damn about her... being rejected had a way of hurting no matter what the situation was. And now that stupid, damned rat was going to get the girl and probably get that stupid head of the whole freaking corporation job he had heard Kagura ranting about earlier. It just wasn't fair! Damn it! It wasn't fair!

"Well, good night, Kyo-san," Tohru said quietly. With that, she turned around and went back to her apartment.

As she walked away, for some unexplainable reason, a small smile came to Kyo's face. "Don't you dare think that this is over..." he muttered quietly to himself. That's right. It wasn't too late. Curling his hands into fists, Kyo felt a rush of energy surge through his body. That's right! If there was one thing Kyo loved, it was a challenge! And challenging that dumb rat was definitely on his list of favorite things to do. He'd steal that girl away from him and then Yuki would finally have to admit that Kyo had beaten him! Finally... Kyo was going to be the winner.

Yuki sat down on his couch and turned on the television. After half-heartedly flipping through every single one of the 432 channels, he shut the tv off. Why did he feel so distracted? Nothing seemed to interest him right now. Standing up, he circled his apartment several times before sitting on the couch again and turning on the television yet again as well. This was pretty pathetic, wasn't it...

But he couldn't help it. He couldn't get Tohru Honda off his mind.

Laying back on the couch, Yuki propped up a small, leather pillow and rested his head on it. As he looked up at the ceiling, he thought about Tohru and how he would get to take her out for a boat ride the next day. He shook his head, realizing that this was getting too deep. The only reason why he had wanted her was so that he could get that job! Why was he making such a big deal out of this. Besides, he didn't even own a boat... well, not yet anyway.

"I'm starting to forget what's important," he said to himself out loud, his voice echoing off the walls of his empty apartment. It was funny, he had never really thought of this place as lonely before, but it felt that way now. Being alone here was making him feel all depressed. Maybe that was why he kept thinking about her. That had to be it! It was all his darn apartment's fault. He glared accusingly up at the apartment ceiling. "Stupid apartment," he grumbled.

Turning onto his side, he closed his eyes. The only reason why he was doing all this was to please his retarded brother so that he could get that job. That's all... It had nothing to do with Tohru Honda. But still... he had to admit... that maybe he did like her just a little bit... and would that really be so bad? Maybe marrying for love really was a possibility for him.

"I see you have returned," Hanajima said softly as Tohru entered the apartment. "It took a bit longer than I anticipated. Did you find your watch?"  
"Ah, not really," Tohru admitted. "I guess I got a little side tracked. I ran into..." She squeezed her eyes shut and her face turned bright red.

"What's wrong Tohru?" Hana asked in concern. "Are you ill?  
"No... its not that," Tohru mumbled. "Its just... you'll never guess who I just saw! It was Kyo-san!"

"And who in the world may that be?" Hana asked in confusion.

Tohru realized that it made sense that Hana didn't know. The only reason why Tohru was able to remember in the first place was because she had had that crush on him for so long. "The one from the restaurant," Tohru said quietly. "With the orange hair... the one I liked..."

"Ah yes," Hana nodded. "I do seem to recall that particular example of male scum. Did he do anything to you Tohru? You don't seem harmed."

"Actually," Tohru admitted, her face growing even brighter red. "He asked me out on a date? Isn't life strange? When I liked him, I would have done anything for him to like me too... or even notice me... but now he appears all of a sudden... just when I've met someone else..."

Hanajima smiled sympathetically. "Are you referring to that princely character, Yuki Sohma? Please don't tell me you're going to repeat your previous error of spending a day with him. Men are all no better than single celled amebas whose sole purposes in life is to procreate. Surely we've already had this discussion several times before."

"I... I guess so," Torhu laughed. "But I really think I like him."

"I see... And as for this... Kyo... didn't that _man_ have a girlfriend? And why should he come now all of a sudden? How did he know you lived here? What are his intentions? Burn him at the stake! Ah, I mean, please be careful Tohru-kun."

Nodding, Tohru smiled warmly at her friend. It always touched her how concerned Hanajima always was for her well being. She wondered what she could have done to deserve having two such wonderful friends always there for her. "I was wondering all that too," Tohru said finally. "But it doesn't really matter now..." She thought of Yuki and pursed her lips together shyly to herself. "And tomorrow... Sohma-san is taking me for a boat ride..."  
Hanajima raised a brow before grabbing Tohru's hand and dragging the girl into her bedroom. The room was draped in thick, black curtains and carpeting, small candles adorning every shelf and desk top in the room. Bending down, Hana looked under her bed, pushing aside a deep velvet comforter, and pulling out a little doll. "I present you with this, Tohru-kun," she said, straightening herself back up and handing the doll to her friend.

Squinting at the figure, Tohru looked at Hana in bewilderment. "What is it?" she asked finally.

"A voodoo doll," Hana replied darkly. "Should that Yuki Sohma decide to play too rough with you, I want you to jam a needle right here." Lifting the doll a little, she pointed a finger at the doll's crotch. "Believe me, it will ensure your safety and that Yuki Sohma will never again be able to bear children."

Making a face, Tohru gave her friend a hug. "Thank you for worrying about me," she laughed awkwardly. "But... ah... I don't think I'll be needing voodoo of any kind. Thanks anyway, though."

Hanajima shrugged, tossing the small, plain looking doll of brown material on the bed. "Suit yourself."

Ayame opened his email and was surprised to see that he had only one new one. Must be his lucky day, he mused. Better than having to delete five hundred junk mails. His eyes widened as he read who the sender was... Could it be? Could his little brother really have sent him an email! Tears of joy welled up in his eyes and Ayame felt his heart swell in his chest. "My dearest brother," he sighed.

Clicking the little mail icon, the screen flashed and filled up with the words of the letter. Most likely words of love and admiration, Ayame reasoned. How could it be any other way? His face fell as he read it and he gave a little sigh. So... it seemed his little brother wasn't too happy after all. Ah well, what could he do?

Closing the email, Ayame chuckled loudly to himself. _Fear not little brother! All I do, I do for your own benefit! _Things may be hard now... but Ayame was certain that this would work out for Yuki in the end. And then, of course, the boy would simply be bursting with gratitude for his older brother who had done so much for him.

chapter 9- day 3- puppy saliva

Tohru yawned as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Kyoko yipped loudly at her feet and Tohru smiled, bending down and squatting on the floor. "Hey there sweetie," she said cheerfully, her voice still drowsy. "Ready for some breakfast?" The dog panted loudly in response, licking Tohru across the face. Laughing Tohru gave the small dog a little pat before standing up and digging through the cupboard. "Hmm, I was sure I put it in here somewhere," she mumbled.

"Agh!" a voice whined loudly. "You know what Tohru? Life sucks. My husband sucks. Everything just sucks." Tohru turned to see a blond head standing at the doorway and caught Uo just as she dragged herself into the room, collapsing on the worn, dark blue couch.

"Are you all right, Uo-chan?" Tohru asked in concern. Pouring another cup of coffee, she handed it to Arisa and took a seat beside her.  
Narrowing her eyes, Uo took a long slurp of the scorching, hot liquid, and let out a deep breath. "Thanks," she muttered. Looking up at Tohru, she sighed, setting the cup down on a small wooden table in front of them. "You know that bastard that I, once in a while anyway, refer to as my husband? Yeah, well he didn't come home last night. And I made a freaking nice dinner for him too..."  
"Oh, Uo-chan," Tohru said sympathetically. "Do you know why he didn't come home?"

"I dunno," Uo grumbled. "He called at like, two in the morning to tell me he had some last minute business to finish up in the office." Jumping to her feet, Uo punched a clenched fist into the air. "Damn that Sohma Corporation!" she shouted. "They stole my husband from me!"

"Well, he was back this morning, wasn't he?" Tohru pressed.

"No, actually he wasn't!" Uo yelled angrily. "Can you believe it! He still hasn't come home yet!" Letting out a frustrated sigh, she grasped a handful of her hair, breathing heavily, looking as if she were fighting back tears. Finally, she straightened herself up, regaining her composure, but added quietly, "Tohru, I don't know what to do."

"Don't worry," Tohru said reassuringly, trying to sound cheerful. "I'll always be here for you and... uh..."

"Yeah, I know," Uo said with a smile, and took her seat once again beside her friend. "I appreciate it... Hey, where's Hana at anyway?"

"Still in bed," Tohru explained. "I woke up a little early because..." she trailed off, her face becoming red. She didn't know why but it embarrassed her to say that she was going out with Sohma-san again, and that she had woken up early just so that she could get everything done in time for their date. Plus... with Uo-chan feeling so depressed over her own life...

"Because... what?" Uotani prodded. A grin spread across her face and she gave Tohru a teasing punch on the shoulder. "Come on girl, spill it. What are you hiding?"

"I'm... I'm not hiding anything," Tohru replied defensively. "I just... well... I'm going on another date with Sohma-san," she said finally. There, she had said it. Now that wasn't so bad.

"What!" Arisa exclaimed. "I thought you told us he was a total dick! What happened!"

Tohru shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. Kyoko came running over, and with a little bark, hopped onto her lap. Petting the top of the puppy's head thoughtfully, Tohru tried to find a way to explain it. "I don't know... its just, different now. I think that things may really work out between us." Her cheeks turned red and she looked down at the fuzzy dog in her lap. "Or at least, I hope it will."

Smiling warmly, Uotani gave Tohru a little pat on the back. "I'm happy for you, you know that?"

"Yeah, I'm happy too," Tohru murmured. "Its hard to believe I just met him two days ago."

Yuki hung his head down in shame as he looked at the Yacht floating in the water... Somehow, he had done it again. He had promised Tohru a boat ride and had ended up purchasing a yacht. And not just any yacht either... but the biggest, most expensive one he could find. How on earth had this happened? Tohru was going to end up hating him again.

Ah well, he had already bought it... So maybe he should ask her how she liked it first. If she hated the thing, then they could always rent something simpler. Pulling out his cellphone, he dialed Tohru's number and listened to it ring. After five rings, the answering machine picked up and Yuki frowned. Why wasn't she home? Didn't she remember about their date today? "Uh, hi," Yuki said uncertainly, as he left a message. "This is Sohma Yuki... I was just calling to ask if you were ready yet... but since you're not home... I guess I'll just try back later. Bye."

Sighing, Yuki folded the small phone shut and shoved it back into his pocket. He probably should have just left his number so that she could call him back when she got home. Well, at least he could have some more time to decide what to do with this boat now. Maybe he could burn it down! That would be kind of entertaining to watch, and then they could rent a nice, simple little rowboat or something. Tohru would probably like something like that a lot more anyway.

Yuki pulled out a pack of matches and lit one, watching the flame burn for a second. Then he threw the burning flame into the water and smirked as it immediately went out, and floated harmlessly on the surface of the lake. Yeah right, like he'd really burn this thing down. Still a fun idea though, but entirely unlikely. Tossing the whole pack of matches into the water, he climbed up onto the yacht and gave it one more look around. This place wasn't so bad, was it? Even if Tohru wasn't into really flashy things, as long as he didn't act like such a stuck a snob like last time, then they should be okay, right?

At the expense of looking desperate, Yuki pulled out his phone and dialed Tohru's number yet again, shutting it off in disappointment when the answering machine came on once more. Where was she? Maybe... something bad had happened?

"Aw! I bet Kyoko will love this stuff!" Tohru exclaimed excitedly. "And its on sale too!" She pointed to the label on the can as if to verify what she was saying. "See, it says right here, 'dogs love it!'"

"Eh, Tohru," Uo asked, raising a brow. "Weren't you supposed to be doing a certain something with a certain someone today?"

"Yeah, Sohma-san," Tohru nodded as she picked up another can and began to read the back of it.

"Perhaps you should have let us handle the shopping then," Hanajima commented with little interest as she placed a bag of chips into the cart.

Tohru checked her watch and frowned. "You think so? But its so early still. I don't think he would call me yet, would he?" And the last thing she needed was another misunderstanding with him. But, poor little Kyoko had already gone without breakfast because of their negligence in making sure they had enough food in the cupboard for her. "Would you guys mind then?" Tohru asked uncertainly. "If I left you to finish up with the groceries?"

"Please, go on ahead," Hana said softly. "I'll take care of it. You don't want to leave that Sohma Yuki waiting." Her voice lowered another notch and she looked up dangerously at Tohru. "However, please do not forget what I said earlier. Should he make any unwanted advances, be sure to make good use of the voodoo doll."

Sweatdropping, Tohru gave her friends a little hug. "I'll keep that in mind, Hana-chan," she reassured quickly. Quickly going to the cash register with a few cans of dog food, she paid for them and went hurrying home.

After ten minutes of practically running to her apartment, she let out a few deep breaths, and slid a card through the ID scan on the door. With a sharp, quick beep, the door unlocked and Tohru pulled it open. A hand fell on her shoulder and she jumped, a loud gasp escaping her lips.

"I... I'm sorry," a voice apologized quickly. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

Tohru turned around to see Yuki, a surprised look on his face. "Oh, Sohma-san," Tohru laughed, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"I called out your name but I guess you didn't hear me," Yuki explained sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Oh, its fine," Tohru reassured, pulling the door open and letting them both in. "What are you doing here already?"

"Well... I called and you weren't home..." Yuki explained, his face growing red. "So, I thought I'd come down here myself and check up on you."

"Sohma-san..." Tohru began in suprise. "You... weren't worried about me... were you?"

"N... no! Of course not." Yuki replied quickly, shaking his head. Hurrying ahead of her, he pressed the button for the elevator and looked up at the ceiling, then at the wall, then at the floor, anywhere but where Tohru was standing. "I mean, it would be kind of odd for me to get worked up over nothing like that... Me worried? I have no reason to worry about anything. I just thought I'd stop by a little early, that's all. And... its not like..."

Tohru suppressed a smile as she entered the elevator with him. Was it just her or did he seem a bit flustered. She hadn't meant to embarrass him, but she had to admit, it was kind of cute. When they made it up to the top floor and got off, Tohru led him to her apartment and unlocked the door. "You get to see Kyoko again," Tohru said cheerfully. Sure enough, as soon as the door swung open, a miniature, furry creature came pouncing out. Yuki let out a yelp as Kyoko landed on his chest, knocking him back to the floor. "Uh oh," Tohru gasped, leaning over. "Bad Kyoko. Get off of Sohma-san."

"I.. It's fine," Yuki tried to reassure her as he tugged at the dog, but it it seemed to have latched itself on quite tightly, its claws digging into is shirt.

"I'm really sorry about this," Tohru said quickly, feeling herself begin to panic. "Come on Kyoko, please get off of him," she begged. The dog refused, licking Yuki across the face and mouth, and barking loudly. Looking down at the bag she was holding, Tohru realized she had been holding a secret weapon against over affectionate dogs all along. Opening the bag, she pulled out a can of dog food and held it close to the puppy's face. "Oh Kyoko," she cooed. "Look what I got for you."

The dog froze immediately, its eyes moving back and forth as they followed the movements of the can. Leaping off of Yuki, it began to whimper and paw and Tohru's leg. Tohru hurried into the kitchen and opened the can, pouring the contents into a bowl on the floor. She looked up, a guilty expression on her face as Yuki came into the apartment to join them, wiping at his face with a handkerchief.

"I... I'm really, really sorry about Kyoko," she stammered again. The dog had busied itself emptying the bowl and was no longer paying any attention to them.

"Don't worry about it," Yuki said quickly. "I love dogs. And I did buy her for you."

Tohru bit her lip to keep from laughing when she noticed the string of puppy saliva hanging from Yuki's chin. Turning around, she grabbed a paper towel and wet it with hot water from the sink. "Ah... do you mind if I get that off your face for you?" She asked, taking a step closer. Not waiting for a response, she wiped gently at his chin and cheek, trying to remove all the spit, and trying to keep a straight face at the same time.

Apparently, Kyo couldn't quite seem to get into the building without an ID card or something. Damn it. How were suspicious looking prowlers supposed to get in when the apartment guys were so damn cautious about everything! Sighing, he stepped around the building and looked up. Her room had been at the third floor if he remembered correctly. Maybe he could just climb to the top floor and go in through the window?

AGH! He was beginning to sound more and more deranged by the minute! But ... but... that damned rat and Tohru, that was the girl's name, wasn't it, were all alone up there doing god knew what and... and Yuki was all that much closer to getting that stupid job he wanted so badly. NOO! The last thing that rat deserved was any more of ... anything! If Kyo had been able to get some cushy office job at the Sohma Corporation then maybe he wouldn't have to despise that damned rat so much! But no! That stupid feminine dork always got everything he wanted while Kyo was left with jack shit, Well, not this time buddy!

That's right! Kyo vowed to destroy that rat's life, one stepping stone at a time, starting with that girl, Tohru, and that job Yuki would get if he married her. Then it was decided! He supposed he'd be climbing up to the third floor after all! Grasping the window sill of the first window, Kyo leapt nimbly up, using the concrete as a foot hold. Then he pounced to the next one, using his feline reflexes to move up. Just a little further, and he'd be able to sabotage that damned rat's blossoming relationship, right here and right now

chapter 10- day 3- impress her with a yacht

As Tohru wiped at his face, Yuki could feel his cheeks grow a little warm. And of course, the knowledge that he was a grown man blushing over something so trivial just embarrassed him even more. He was twenty-five, darn it! Why was he getting all worked up... just because Tohru's face _was_ only inches from his, and just because, if he_ really_ wanted to, he could lean down ever so slightly and kiss her right now. But no! He had no intention of doing that... not just yet anyway... erm... that is... "So... r... ready to go?" Yuki blurted out suddenly, desperate to keep his mind from wandering any further.

"Oh?" Tohru asked in surprise, pulling the towel away. "That's right. I'm sorry for holding us up. We can go now if you like."

And she didn't even look disturbed by his sudden outburst either. Nodding, Yuki took her by the arm and smiled. There was just so much about her that attracted him. She was pretty for one thing, and not to mention extremely sweet and considerate at that. This whole getting married thing was actually starting to sound more and more appealing every day, and that really surprised him.

But then again, there were so many things that Yuki hadn't taken into account yet, like how on earth he was going to propose to someone he had known for only a week, and then... of course... the curse... but he didn't want to worry about _that_ now. He'd just keep it his little secret for as long as humanly possible until it came back to bite him on the butt and make him regret it. Yup, sounded like a good enough plan to him. And... then there was always the rejection factor that he had to take into account. What if he asked her and she said no? That would be absolutely devastating.

As they left the building, Yuki thought he heard strange rustling coming from the top of the building, but when he glanced up, he didn't see anything.

"Is something wrong, Sohma-san?" Tohru asked in curiosity, following his eyes.

"No, just thought I heard something," Yuki replied with a shrug. His car pulled up in front of them with Momiji at the wheel and the two climbed into the back.

Kyo peeked in through the glass window. This had to be it. He was sure this was where Tohru's apartment had been. Sliding his fingertips under the window, he pushed it open and climbed inside. Yup, this definitely fit into the category of crazy, getting sent to prison type activities but ah well, too late to turn back now. As he landed with a quiet thump on the carpet, he froze when he heard a female voice.   
"Hello? Is someone there?" it called nervously.

His eyes darting back and forth, Kyo ran in circles trying to find a place to hide. Just as he was about to throw himself behind a couch, a monstrous shadow fell upon him. Looking up, Kyo found himself face to face with the err... lovely... woman he had met the other night, the one with the gaping hole where her front tooth should have been, and his jaw dropped open in shock.

"My my," the woman blushed, clothed in nothing but a skimpy, pink, silk negligé that accentuated her thick thighs and the rolls around her gut. "What a naughty, naughty boy you are, sneaking into a totally_ eligible _woman's home like this." Taking a few steps closer, she put her hands to her cheeks and smiled shyly. "I'm just so embarrassed."

All the while, Kyo's eyes were growing wider and wider with horror. Not this room! Out of ever single wrong apartment he could have ended up in, he had to end up in this one! "Uh... sorry, lady," he stammered. "But this is really just a big misunderstanding. I actually thought I was sneaking into someone else's room..." _Brilliant... Absolutely brilliant. As if that was actually a good excuse._ "So, uh, I'll just be on my way now," he choked, running to the front door.

"Oh, no you don't," the woman chuckled, grabbing him roughly by the arm and yanking him back with more strength than he believed possible for one single person to have. "I'm not gonna let a sexy beast like you get away that easily, again." Pulling him closer, Kyo shouted out in terror as she crushed him to her breast, squeezing the life out of him. In a split second, Kyo had transformed into a cat. He looked up at the woman and meowed innocently. Shrieking, the woman threw the cat away from her, her eyes rolling into the back of her head, and seconds later, she was passed out on the floor.

"Damn straight!" Kyo grumbled, gripping his clothes in his teeth and dragging them out of the room. "Stupid woman... doesn't know what the hell she's doing... I showed her..."

When Kyo had reached the hallway, he changed back into a guy, and looked around wearily to see if anyone had seen him. Finding no one, he slipped on his clothes and made his way to the apartment he had seen Tohru leaving the night before. As he stood outside the door, he hesitated, trying to decide what to do. Should he really just knock like this was some kind of social visit? He was here for revenge!

But, Kyo knocked anyway.

The door flew open and a blond head eyed him suspiciously. "Yeah?" she asked, her voice bored. "What do you want?"

"Oh, uh, I thought Tohru lived here," Kyo muttered. "Never mind."

"What do you want Tohru for?" Uotani asked, narrowing her eyes. She brushed a strand of hair from her face and leaned against the doorway. "She left awhile ago anyway with someone."

"She already left!" Kyo exclaimed, frustrated. "Ah, damn it! What the hell did I go through all this shit for then!"

"You want me give her a message or something?"

"No, forget it," Kyo growled angrily to himself. "It doesn't matter." He paused, looking down at the girl's face. Maybe... he could always try... to get some information out of her. Straightening his body a little, he tried smiling his best charming smile, though he realized he probably looked pretty awkward. "Soooo, do you have any idea where they may have gone?" he asked sweetly.

"Weirdo," Uo muttered, turning away to slam the door shut.

"Hey bitch!" Kyo snarled, pushing the door back open with his arm. "What the hell do you think you're doing!" Guess the kind and innocent act wasn't going to hold up after all.

"Look, I don't know who you are," Uotani said dangerously in a low voice. "But I'm warning you, get the hell out of here before I make you."

Crap, things were looking pretty bad, weren't they. Kyo had to think of something and think of something quick. "Wait, uh, don't get all mad," Kyo said quickly, trying to calm down. "I... I'm just worried about your friend."

Uotani gave him a strange look before nodding. "All right then, what's up..." She stopped and a sudden look of recognition crossed over her face. "Hey, aren't you that guy from the restaurant?"

"Uh, yeah, that's me," Kyo muttered. Why the hell did everyone seem to recognize him from that stupid, craptastic job he worked at. "Well anyway, I just wanted to warn you that... uh... that damned rat... uh I mean, Yuki Sohma, he's not someone you should trust your friend with."

"Really?" Uotani asked, a look of concern crossing her face. "What are you talking about?"

"You see," Kyo said, exaggerating a sigh. "He's my cousin. I've known him since we were kids and the guy's pure evil. His whole purpose in life is making people miserable." Kyo smirked a little to himself as he was struck with inspiration. That's right, the deal with Yuki trying to find a wife. He had only been thinking of it as Yuki getting a better position, but if Yuki was really getting married just because of this deal, then that meant he was just using the girl too. Funny how that idea had never occurred to him sooner. It was as if his bitterness toward Yuki had blinded him to everything else, common sense included, but he wasn't going to think about that right now. "And..." Kyo said sadly, "he's just using your friend, Tohru. He truthfully couldn't care less about her."

"What did you just say!" Uotani demanded.

"Yuki struck a deal with the Sohma Corporation that if he found a wife before the end of this week then he could get some big, position off somewhere or another..." Kyo shrugged. "I don't really know the details. I just know that your dear little friend..." he paused, putting a hand to his heart. "Our dear little friend Tohru," he corrected. "She's just being used by that selfish bastard."

"I don't believe this," Uotani murmured. "I refuse to let this happen! We have to tell her!"

Kyo nodded, trying his best to suppress a victorious grin. "So, how's about you just tell me where they are and I head over there and end this before things get too out of control," Kyo suggested.

Laughing, Uo threw an arm over Kyo's shoulder. "Sorry Orange Top," she said, narrowing her eyes. "But you aint going nowhere on your own. Until I get some solid evidence, I'm not going to let you get away with anything."

"Hey!" Kyo shouted angrily, pulling away. "Get off of me!"

"Fine by me," Arisa shrugged. "Ready to go then?"

"What! You can't come!"

"Too late! I already am! She's_ my_ friend, damn it!"

"Oh my gosh!" Tohru squealed when they got to the dock. "I had no idea you had a yacht! This is so cool!"

Yuki breathed out a huge sigh of relief as they went closer to the boat, feeling as though a ten ton weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He had been so terrified that she was going to hate it and think that he was trying too hard to show off again. On the contrary, Tohru was jumping up and down excitedly as she circled the boat from the dock.

"It's just so pretty," she said in amazement. "Are we really going to be riding on this?"

"Well, its just some cheap old thing I bought awhile ago," Yuki replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "No biggie..." Crap, why did this sound so familiar? Was he doing it again? Was he trying to impress her with his money and possessions? No, this would definitely not do at all. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of the other night. It was amazing how being near Tohru seemed to trigger it too. It wasn't as if his personality was dripping with the need to brag at every possible moment to anyone willing to listen, so why did he always seem to do it when he was with her. Was it because he liked Tohru so much, he felt the need to try and make himself look better? No, that couldn't be it... after all... all he really cared about was getting that job that Ayame had promised him... right?

"Oh, so do you go out on the lake a lot then?" Tohru asked in interest.

"Well... not really," Yuki finally admitted. "Actually this is my first time. And ... as a matter of fact... I, uh, just bought this boat this morning too," he added with a sigh. Might as well be truthful. He may not be able to change overnight into the charming, confident guy that Tohru deserved, but the least he could do was stop trying so hard to be an arrogant asshole. Baby steps... he was going to take this one step at a time.

"I kind of had the feeling that was the case," Tohru chuckled. "I appreciate the gesture though." She pointed to the boat, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Come on, I'm dying for you to show me around."

Yuki smiled and joined her on the dock. Opening the door, they both climbed inside, the huge yacht barely moving in the water from their weight. As he lead her around, he pointed out all the commodities that had come with it. "We have a tv over there," he said, "has about 200 channels or so, give or take a few. The kitchen is over here, and I believe they should have filled up the fridge with food this morning. And bathrooms around the corner through there."

Nodding, Tohru looked around in amazement. "Its like a huge house floating on the water," she said in awe. "This must have cost a fortune."

"Actually," Yuki began, but stopped himself when he realized he was going to just brush it off as nothing again. "Actually," Yuki laughed. "You're absolutely right. I can't believe I spent so much for a boat I'm probably going to use once." Taking her hand, he led her up to the top deck and they looked out at the buildings lining the shore. "But if you like it, then it was worth it," he said with a grin. "So, did you want to give steering it a try?"  
"Sure," Tohru said enthusiastically. "Do you know how to?"

"Nope, I have absolutely no clue," Yuki admitted. "Guess we'll have to figure it out together."

The two of them made their way to the front where the captain's area was. As they stepped into the glass room, Yuki could feel a wave of dread wash over him. Why the heck were there so many levers and buttons! The guy that had sold him the boat had promised it would be easy! This didn't look easy at all!

"My, my," Tohru said nervously, obviously thinking the same thing. "Seems a little complicated, don't you think?"

Yuki didn't know how to reply. Figuring out how to steer a giant yacht had seemed like such a fun idea at first... but right now... he wasn't so sure. "All right," Yuki said with a defeated sigh. "I'll call Momiji."

"Oh, Momiji-san can run boats too?" Tohru said cheerfully. "That's wonderful. I'm sure he'll really enjoy this too."

"Yeah, I guess," Yuki sighed, pulling out his cell phone. There went his plan of a romantic day alone with Tohru. Dialing Momiji's number, the phone rang two times before a male's voice answered.

_"Hey Yuki? What's up? You didn't make poor Tohru all angry again did you? Should I have the car ready so I can bring her home?"_

"Uh, not quite," Yuki replied, trying to hide his annoyance. "I was wondering if you could steer the boat for us today. We have no clue how to use it."

_"Sure thing. If you don't mind having me aboard, I'd love to! I'll be over in about ten minutes, all right?"_

_"_Thanks a lot Momiji," Yuki said. "I really appreciate this. Bye." Hanging up the phone, Yuki placed it back in his pocket, giving Tohru a little smile. "Looks like we'll have our own captain too."

chapter 11- day 3- just a little open sea

Uotani groaned as Kyo paddled furiously with the little row boat they had rented in the water. Why on earth had she let what this weirdo say get to her so bad anyway? For all she knew, he could be making it all up... But then again, if that Yuki guy really _was_ just using Tohru to further his career, then she couldn't take that chance. The last thing she wanted was to see Tohru cry. "Are we there yet?" she complained, looking out over the calm water.

"Do we look like we're there," Kyo growled. "If you think you can do better, why don't you paddle."

"I'd rather not," Arisa replied flatly. What the hell were they doing out here anyway. "And I really doubt we're going to catch up with them," Uo couldn't help but add in annoyance. "They're probably on some _nice _ship with a motor or something."

"Damn it!" Kyo shouted angrily, throwing the paddles down into the floor of the boat. "We're not here to enjoy the scenery. If you wanted something nice with a motor you should have paid for it!"

"Oh calm down, you big baby," Uo muttered. "Geez. You're the one that comes over to Tohru's place freaking out and stuff. Why the hell are you so concerned about_ my_ friend in the first place? What do you care? _You_ don't even know her!"

"I do so know her," Kyo grumbled. "I uh.. fell in love with her the day I waited on your guy's table... yeah, that's it."

Uotani rolled her eyes, resting her chin in her hand. "Whatever." This guy, if he was going to lie, the least he could do was make up a good one. She knew for a fact that he hadn't even noticed them that day, not to mention the fact that he had been making out with some brunette chick only minutes afterward. So what was this guy really up to then? This obviously wasn't for Tohru's sake, so what was he trying to do?

"Yee haw!" Momiji yelled, turning the wheel sharply to the left, and increasing the throttle. "This is great, Yuki!"

"Agh, Momiji! Can't you slow down!" Yuki shouted, stumbling into the captain's cabin. "You're going to make us sink!"

"But this is great!" Momiji said excitedly, giving another sharp turn. Yuki gave out a yelp as he was thrown to the side of the room, crashing hard against the wall. "When you're out on the road driving a car," Momiji continued, pressing a few levers down. "You have traffic lights, and people and other cars and buildings and you have to follow the roads, but out here, you can do whatever you want!"

"No you can't!" Yuki groaned, trying to climb back to his feet. "Now try to steer normal! Please! I'm begging you!"

Sighing, Momiji cut the engine, looking down at the wheel sadly. "All right then, Yuki," he said in defeat. "I'll be good." Grinning, he ran out of the room to the kitchen where he swung the refrigerator door open. "Lunch time!" he exclaimed happily, grabbing a handful of packages.

Yuki rubbed his sore back, giving Momiji one last glare before climbing up the stairs to the deck where Tohru was waiting. "I wish he'd act his age," Yuki grumbled. He looked up to see Tohru standing sprawled out over the railing, her head hanging over the side. "Honda-san," he said gently as he walked up next to her. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Hah?" Tohru moaned, turning to look at him. Yuki winced when he saw her face, which had changed to an unnatural shade of green. Amazing. Who knew that a human being could actually be that color. "Oh, I'm sorry Sohma-san," she said softly, pushing her hair out of her face. "I just felt a little nauseous and..." she stopped, clutching her stomach and running to the other end of the boat where she threw up over the edge. "But as you can see," she murmured cheerfully, joining him again. "I'm completely fine now..." And then she passed out, her body falling limp as she collapsed forward.

"Honda-san!" Yuki took a quick step toward Tohru, catching her in his arms. Her chest brushed lightly against his own and he changed into a mouse, Tohru's body landing heavily on top of him. "Honda-san," Yuki grunted from the floor, trying to squeaze himself out from under her. "You seem to have gotten very heavy all of a sudden."

Tohru groaned, pulling herself up. Looking down, she realized she was laying on the couch in the living quarters of the ship. Yuki was sitting in an arm chair beside her, flipping through the channels on the television. Biting her lip, Tohru began to feel guilty. How long had she been out? After all the trouble Yuki had gone through for her, she might have ruined it for him by spending the entire day unconscious... "So... Sohma-san?" Tohru said softly. "I'm so sorry."

"Oh, you're awake?" Yuki said, turning around in surprise. Standing up from the chair, he took a few steps closer, kneeling down before her on the couch. "What exactly... are you sorry about?"

"I... I've ruined this whole day, haven't I," Tohru said tearfully. "I'm sorry I got sea sick and passed out for so long. You must be so disappointed."

Yuki furrowed his brows in confusion. "What are you talking about? You've been asleep for about five minutes now."

"Oh," Tohru said in surprise. "Well, never mind then." Sitting up in the couch, she stretched her arms above her and yawned a little. "You must be hungry," she said cheerfully. "Why don't I make us some lunch?"

"Don't worry about it," Yuki said quickly. "I'm going to take care of everything tonight. I hired a chef to prepare some food before we left and kept it in the fridge. I just have to heat it up."

Tohru watched him in amazement, not sure what to say. He really was an amazingly thoughtful person. It was so touching that he was going through all this trouble for her. "I... I could always help you heat it up," Tohru offered finally, feeling the need to contribute somehow.

Yuki smiled, lifting a hand toward her cheek when he suddenly stopped himself. His smile fading, he pulled it away before making contact with her skin. "I can do it," he said quickly, standing up and hurrying away.

Frowning, Tohru felt her face heat up. What was that just now? She supposed he was just trying to be a gentleman... but... it had seemed as though something had suddenly crossed his mind at that moment. What could he be thinking? Suddenly, an angry yell emerged from the kitchen and Tohru jumped in her seat.

"MOMIJI!"

Climbing to her feet, Tohru hurried into the kitchen to see what was the matter. She gasped, putting a hand to her mouth when she saw Momiji hiding behind a table and Yuki glaring angrily down at him. "What happened?" she asked surprise.

"I'm sorry!" Momiji pleaded from behind the table. "I was hungry!

"You didn't have to eat all of it!" Yuki shouted. "How could you possibly fit that much food into your stomach!"

"Well, it wasn't all just me," he admitted. "There were some birds that landed on the deck of the ship and I thought they might be hungry too... So I shared with them!"

"Momiji," Yuki moaned, covering his face with his hand. "How could you..." He glanced up at Tohru, seeming to notice her for the first time. "Sorry about all the commotion," he sighed. "It appears our lunch has been already been consumed."

Tohru shook her hands frantically in front of her. "Its totally, perfectly fine," she said quickly. "Isn't there anything else on the ship? Like I said before, I can always prepare something for us."

"Yeah... I suppose there is," Yuki replied, his voice defeated. "But I really didn't want to make you cook... If you want, I can try and make something..."

"Ehh..." Tohru began uncertainly. She didn't want to sound rude... but from what she had heard... Yuki and cooking were two words that should never be in the same sentence together. But of course, she couldn't exactly put it that way. "How about if we both do it," Tohru suggested finally. "We can help each other."

Nodding, Yuki led her to the cupboards. "Okay then," he agreed. "That seems like a good idea."

_Ten minutes later_

"Sohma-san! That doesn't go there!"

"Agh! What's all this stuff coming out of the pot!"

"Wait, don't touch that!"

"OUCH!"

"Oh no! Are you okay! Wait! Don't do that!"

"Help Honda-san! Its getting everywhere!"

"Sohma-san!"

"What is all this! Yeowch!"

_An hour later_

Panting heavily, Tohru gave Yuki a weak smile. "Well, that was fun," she lied, trying to sound cheerful. "And... the food... looks decent, doesn't it?"

Yuki looked uncertainly toward the plates they had set down on the large, wooden dining table. "Yeah... the stuff you made does anyway..."

"Don't be ridiculous," Tohru laughed, setting down at the table. "Lets just eat. I'm really looking forward to trying your... umm... meatloaf?"

"Actually, that's supposed to be macaroni and cheese."

"So it is!" Tohru said quickly, eyeing the brown lump sitting in front of her. "It really looks good." Taking a deep breath, Tohru tried to find the courage to poke her spoon into the dark substance. When she had, she slowly put it into her mouth, chewing cautiously down on it. Her eyes widening, she tried to suppress a choking sound as she grabbed a napkin and spit the food out into it. What... what on earth kind of macaroni and cheese was this! "I... it's delicious," Tohru wheezed, trying to catch her breath.

Yuki burst out laughing, shaking his head in amusement. "It's all right if you don't like it," Yuki reassured. "I won't be offended or anything. I've always been bad at cooking. That's why I usually just eat out." He lifted the bowl of soup she had prepared and took a sip. "Mmm," he said contentedly. "Now this is good."

Nodding, Tohru couldn't help but still feel guilty that all of the food Yuki had tried to make had turned out so... not very good... Not that it was actually _bad _or anything. Just because it looked bad, didn't mean it tasted bad... And just because it tasted bad... didn't mean it _was_ bad... And... ah forget it... "Well, you helped me a lot," Tohru tried to add.

"Not really. I turned on the stove and stirred it... once," Yuki reminded her.

"But that's very helpful!" Tohru said enthusiastically, trying to sound convincing. "You may be the best stirrer in all Japan! I could have gotten a cramp in my wrist or something if I had done it myself! I bet if any stirring chefs in training had seen you, they'd totally admire you and your stirring abilities!" What was she saying! He was going to think she had completely lost her mind! She hadn't rambled this much since she had been a teenager. Perhaps she should just stop now then. One thing was for certain though... For her to get this worked up over nothing... she must really being falling hard for Yuki Sohma.

"Aww," Momiji sighed, clasping his hands together over his heart. "You two are really something, you know that!" Tohru looked up to see Momiji standing at the doorway, looking his usual energetic self. The man stepped into the kitchen and sat himself down by Yuki at the table. Leaning close to his ear, he whispered in a not so quiet voice. "Yuki! You should ask her to marry you!"

Tohru froze, the food she had been swallowing catching in her throat. Coughing loudly, she tried to force the food down. Finally, she let out a deep breath and took a few sips from her glass of water. M... Marriage? Is that what Momiji had just said! But... but... sure, she liked Yuki and everything... and he was very handsome... and sweet... but... but... Marriage! She had only just met him... what was it... two days ago? Then that meant this was only the third day that she had even known of his existence!

"Momiji," Yuki growled through gritted teeth. "Why don't you go watch tv or something. We're trying to eat."

"Eh heh," Momiji chuckled nervously, backing away from the now extremely pissed and dangerous looking Yuki. "R... right away. Sorry I interrupted you guys..." He ran quickly out of the room, disappearing out of sight.

Tohru watched them, her face bright red. Suddenly, she didn't feel so hungry anymore. As a matter of fact, maybe she never needed to eat anything again for as long as she lived. Looking down at her plate, she poked at the brown lump of food Yuki had made earlier with her spoon. How... awkward...  
"I... I'm really sorry about that," Yuki stammered quickly, beads of sweat on his forehead. "You see, uhh, Momiji doesn't know what he's talking about and... and... you don't have to worry, because I really have no intention of marrying you... Uh, that is, what I meant to say was... I... really need to use to restroom right now so I'll be back in a minute." Jumping up from his seat, he hurried out of the room without another word.

Tohru continued to stare at her plate, feeling her heart drop. Of course, Yuki had no intention of marrying her. It was just Momiji playing around. She shouldn't have gotten herself so worked up about it... Now she felt kind of foolish... So it shouldn't bother her at all really. Even if... just maybe, deep down, it was what she really wanted... She was twenty-four already, after all... Maybe she did dream about getting married soon... However... as Yuki had said... he had no intention of marrying her... and she... it wasn't as if she wanted to marry him either...

"Are we there yet!" Uo complained loudly again. "I wanna go home. This is retarded."

"Just shut up," Kyo grumbled, looking off into the distance. It was already past three in the afternoon. That meant that they had been rowing, or more specifically, _he_ had been rowing, for over two and a half hours now! How far had that damned rat gone on his stupid boat! His eyes sweeping over the sea in front of him, he stopped when he saw a small dark silhouette against the bright sun. Could it be! It was them! They had finally caught up!

"What are you looking at?" Arisa asked in curiosity, following his gaze.

"Uotani, you annoying bitch," Kyo said proudly. "I think we've just found your friend Tohru and that damned Yuki."

"Well its about time," Uo grumbled. "I really have to go to the bathroom... and I'm thirsty too."

"Oh shut up."

chapter 12- day 3- a funny joke

You know, really, there was no reason to be mad at all. Tohru smiled to herself, straightening her back a little. How silly of her to get all worked up over nothing. Even if Yuki had "no intention of marrying her" that didn't mean they couldn't still be friends. After all, she enjoyed his company and he seemed to enjoy hers as well, so they should just have fun, like they had been doing.

Moments later, Yuki returned from the restroom, a guilty expression on his face. It made Tohru feel bad that she had made him feel so uncomfortable. She decided to try and lighten up the mood to show that she wasn't angry at him or anything. "Hey, do want to hear a joke," she blurted out suddenly. Hmm, not exactly what she had been planning to say but good enough. Too bad she didn't know any jokes, and especially none that she would actually want to say out loud.

Yuki furrowed his brows in confusion, as if caught off guard by her sudden outburst. "Uh, yeah, sure," he agreed, returning to his seat beside her. "Go ahead."

"Well... there was a boy..." Tohru began uncertainly. What was she supposed to say now! It would have been better if she at least knew some kind of witty anecdote or humorous... something or another! But instead, she had absolutely no clue what to say next. "So... the boy was... dying... and..."

"He was dying?"

"N... no! Wait, never mind. Okay, uh, there was a girl, and she went to go buy a... a..." Tohru bit her lip, trying to come up with something, anything, to say next. "A pair of shoes..." she finished weakly.

"O... kay..." Yuki said slowly. "So what happened?"

"Uh, that was it?" Tohru laughed nervously. "Funny joke, right?"

Yuki looked at her for a moment... and then there was silence. Tohru cleared her throat and turned her gaze down to her lap, her foot beginning to tap nervously on the ground. Suddenly, Yuki burst out laughing and Tohru jumped in surprise, looking up at him. He put a hand to his forehead, leaning forward in his seat. "That was horrible," he wheezed, trying to catch his breath. "Haha, I'm sorry... I'm not making fun of you or anything... But well... it did make me laugh."

Watching him, Tohru began laughing too. "I know, that was pretty bad, wasn't it," she giggled, shaking her head. It was nice seeing Yuki laugh like this. She wondered if she had ever seen him him this way before. He seemed so relaxed and natural... And well... she supposed her pride wasn't too much of a price to pay if it meant that she could see him smile like this...

Kyo laughed insanely to himself as he paddled furiously forward. "Wuahahaha! We found them! We found them! Now that damned rat will feel my wrath!" He glanced up in amusement at Uotani who was clinging for her life to the sides of the boat as they shot forward through the water. That dumb girl was going to be a big help in his plan of revenge. She could help convince Tohru that Yuki was a stupid bastard. Which he was! And then Kyo could finish up by sabotaging the boat and leaving the sucker out to sea while Kyo paddled away to the safety of shore! Oh yeah... and maybe Tohru and this Uo chic could come too.

Smirking to himself, Kyo paddled even faster. Ah yes, life was good. Everything was finally going to go right for him.

"What the hell is going on through that tiny brain of yours!" Uotani retorted, her hair whipping around her face from the wind. "And why the hell are you paddling so fast now! We already found them! Calm down!"

"First I'm paddling too slow and now I'm going to fast!" Kyo sneered. "You should just feel grateful I haven't thrown you overboard yet, you annoying bitch!"

"Oh really!" Arisa challenged. "I'd like to see you try..." Her eyes widened as she looked ahead of her. "Stop!" she shouted.

"Stop what!" Kyo yelled in annoyance.

"The boat... the boat! stop paddling right now!" she shouted in panic.

Kyo turned around just in time to see the side of the yacht, just as their little rowboat went crashing right into it. In an instant, the wooden boat was flipped over, throwing Uotani and Kyo into the water. Splashing around in the calm waves, Kyo came struggling up to the surface, gasping for breath as his head shot out of the water. He looked around frantically for Uo, wiping the salty water out of his eyes. Where the hell had that dumb bitch gone!

A moment later, a blur of blond hair came shooting out of the water, and Uotani came up, breathing heavily. Kyo let out a small sigh of relief when he saw her. At least she was all right. "You idiot!" Uo shrieked angrily, tossing a soaked lock of hair over her shoulder. "I told you to stop!" Ah... and as annoying as ever, apparently, Kyo noted to himself.

"You should have told me sooner then!" Kyo shouted in annoyance back. "I dont' have eyes in the back of my head, you know! Its not easy going backwards!"

Narrowing her eyes at him for a minute, Uo's face softened and she let out a sigh. "Just forget about it," she muttered, swimming forward. "I don't feel like arguing in the water like this."

The loud crash made the boat tremble and sway back and forth. Yuki pitched forward in his seat, his face landing in his plate of food. Groaning, he pulled himself up and grabbed a napkin, wiping furiously at his face. "What the heck was that!"

"S... Sohma-san," Tohru gasped. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Yuki nodded, feeling his cheeks grow warm. Why did this kind of thing seem to always happen in front of her. Agh, she was going to think he was a total, complete loser! Whatever caused this to happen was going to pay! Even if it was just the wind, he'd find a way to kick the wind in the head. "You better stay here," he said finally, tossing the napkin down on the table. "I'm going to go see what that noise was."

"A... All right then."

Climbing up the stairs to the deck, Yuki scanned the immediate area, feeling his annoyance growing. Okay, where was the culprit... They needed to fess up and accept their fate! Yuki walked to the edge of the ship and looked over the railing, following it all around the deck as he looked out at the water. Well, he didn't see anything in particular that looked odd... except for that little dent on the side of his yacht... Wait a minute, that dent wasn't there before!

Yuki squinted down into the water, barely making out a brown, oval shape just under the water's surface. What the heck was that? A giant fish? He heard little padding sounds scurrying behind him and turned around quickly, his eyes darting back and forth. However, there was nothing in front of him at all... nothing of course, except a trail of wet footprints leading to the staircase. What on earth was going on here! Were they being attacked by evil sea people?

"I'll save you Honda-san!" Yuki shouted, running down the stairs into the living compartment. He stopped in his tracks in shock when he saw Uo sitting on the couch, watching Television with Tohru and Momiji sitting beside her. "Who are you?" he asked, furrowing his brows.

"She's a mermaid that came swimming up to say hi," Momiji joked. Everyone looked and him and Momiji cleared his throat, sitting back against the cushions of the couch. "Never mind."

"Uotani Arisa," the girl nodded, giving her wet hair a toss. "Tohru's good friend, met you once in front of that restaurant... hey can I use your bathroom? I've been holding it for like an hour."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Yuki nodded. "Go ahead. Its right through the kitchen on your left."

"Thanks a lot!" Uo said enthusiastically, jumping to her feet and running out of the room.

"Honda-san," Yuki asked in confusion. "What's your friend doing here?" This was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. They were out in the middle of the ocean for crying out loud! How in the world had she gotten on board? True, she had looked wet... but he highly doubted she had really swam all the way over here as Momiji had suggested.

Tohru shrugged, looking just as baffled as he was. "I have no clue," she admitted.

"Well, did she come here alone?" Yuki inquired. Maybe she had gotten dropped off by a friend on a... helicopter or something?

"I guess," Tohru replied. "I didn't see anyone else."

Uotani let out a satisfied yawn as she stepped out of the bathroom, a towel she had found over her shoulders. Talk about relief. She had thought she was going to die! A hand went over her mouth and dragged her a few steps back into a dark bedroom. Stomping on the foot behind her, she spun around angrily as soon as the other person's grip loosened.

"Ow! What the hell did you do that for!" Kyo growled quietly.

"What do _you_ think you're doing dragging me in here," Uo hissed.

"I need you to be quiet," Kyo explained, his voice annoyed. "We gotta figure out how to sabotage this boat."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Uotani groaned, slapping a hand over her face. What did this guy think he was? A yacht terrorist? "I thought you said we were here to save Tohru from being used by this Yuki guy!"

"What? That doesn't sound like something I'd say!"

"I knew it!" Uo whispered accusingly, poking a finger hard into Kyo's chest. "I knew you weren't just trying to help Tohru out of the kindness of your heart! What is it that you're trying to do then! I want the truth."

Kyo glared at her for a minute, crossing his arms in front of him. "I just want to make Yuki's life miserable," he muttered. "If it means sinking his boat, fine. If it means taking away his girlfriend, fine. If it means making him lose a huge job opportunity, even better. I don't care. I just don't want to see him happy."

Clenching her fists, Uotani felt like punching the guy in front of her as hard as humanly possible. How dare him! How dare him make her come all this way under the false pretense that they were going to help out her friend! "You bastard!" Arisa cursed angrily. "Then that was all a lie too. Yuki isn't using her at all, is he. You made that all up!"

"You just don't get it," Kyo smirked. Uo could feel her rage building even more. How dare him find her amusing! There was nothing funny about this situation at all! "I didn't make anything up," Kyo continued in annoyance. "Just because I don't really care about your friend that I've known for a total of about five minutes, doesn't mean that Yuki's not using her, cause quite frankly, he is. The deal, the job, all that was true. But that's not why I hate him so much. I have my reasons... those just don't happen to be them."

Uotani remained silent, listening. Somehow, she knew for sure that he was telling the truth now... and that meant, that Tohru really was being used. "We should just tell her then," Uo said quietly. "That way, she can get out of this without getting her heart broken too badly, and you'll get your revenge too, since Yuki'll lose out on that deal." It seemed logical enough, but somehow, she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. She paused when she looked up at Kyo who had a horrified look on his face.

"Why hello, dearest cousin," Yuki growled threw gritted teeth. "Whatever brings you here to my humble ship?"

"Damn it! We've been caught!" Kyo shouted angrily. "This is all your fault!" He yelled at Arisa. "I told you to not be so damn loud!" Turning his attention to Yuki, Kyo pointed an accusing finger at him. "I'll get you a damned rat! I swear I'll make your life miserable if its the last thing I do!" Uo watched as he ran out of the room, pushing past Yuki and shouting loudly. "Tohru! Your damned boyfriend is using you! Get out while you still can!" but he was cut short by Yuki's fist, slamming into his skull and throwing his limp body against the kitchen wall.

Uo narrowed her eyes all the while, watching Yuki in disgust from the bedroom. So it was true after all, this guy really was just using her friend. She'd have to tell Tohru when she got home though. Now was definitely not the time. Stepping out of the room, she found herself in the kitchen as well and winced when she saw Kyo's bloodied corpse laying lifeless on the ground.

"What's going on in here!" Tohru gasped in shock, running into the kitchen. "Y... you're... Kyo?" she stammered, her eyes wide with disbelief. "I don't understand. What are you doing here?"

"I don't think he can hear you right now," Yuki muttered, massaging his sore fist. He looked up at Uotani and sighed. "I'm sorry about all this. I don't know how you got here but you're welcome to stay if you'd like until we head back."

Frowning, Uotani shook her head, thrown off by the kindness in his voice. _Its all just an act,_ she reminded herself. _Don't listen to him. He's just doing this so he can take advantage of Tohru. _"No, I'd rather just go," she grumbled. "If you lend me a spare boat or something I can row this idiot back to shore too."

"We do have a spare boat... it's kind of small though..." Yuki said slowly, " are you sure you want to do that? I mean, its getting dark outside. I don't think its safe for you to try and row all that way back by yourself."

"I said I'll be fine," Uotani snapped. This bastard was doing this on purpose! Trying to sound all concerned and courteous! Ah, and what a clever act it was! But she could see right through it... sort of... And he was nothing but a lying corporate snob trying to use her friend because of a freaking deal, of all things. And all this just to further his career. It was sickening.

"All right, all right," Yuki said defensively. "It was just a suggestion. I'll lend you the boat. It should be big enough to hold you and him." He disappeared out of the room and Uotani let out a giant sigh.

"Uo-chan," Tohru said, furrowing her brows. "You don't like Sohma-san very much, do you..."

"No, I don't," Uo said quietly. How the hell was she supposed to break this to Tohru. The poor girl was already smitten with the guy. "Look, when you get home tonight, promise you'll call me," Uo said, taking Tohru's hand. "I really need to talk to you, all right?"

"Sure, I'll call as soon as I get home," Tohru promised.

Dropping himself on the couch, Yuki turned on the television, patting the seat beside him for Tohru to sit next to him. "I still can't believe your friend insisted on paddling herself and that stupid unconscious cat.. I mean Kyo, all the way to shore by herself."

"I know," Tohru said,shaking her head as she took a seat. "And its getting so late too. But she can be a bit stubborn when she sets her mind to something."

Yuki smiled a little, flipping aimlessly through the channels with the remote. "You guys are really good friends, aren't you," he commented quietly. "That must be nice... having someone you can talk to like that."

"Well yeah, Uo-chan and Hana-chan have been my friends since jr high," Tohru agreed. "I love them so much... But Sohma-san... I'm sure you must have people like that in your life too, right?"

"Not exactly," Yuki replied with a shrug. "I have my work to keep me busy... and I'm around people enough at my job anyway... so I just tend to keep to myself on my time off." He felt kind of ashamed even admitting this to her. He must sound totally pathetic compared to a normal person... one who actually had friends and a normal life.

Yuki stopped pressing the remote in surprise when Tohru took his other hand and wrapped her fingers around his own. "You make it sound like you're all alone," Tohru said softly, a sad tone in her voice. "But that's not true at all. You have Momiji," which she verified by nodding toward Momiji who was spying on them from the doorway. "And you have me too. I'm your friend, aren't I."

"Yeah, you are," Yuki replied quietly. This was the first time anyone had ever said anything like this to him. It... was kind of nice... And gave him a sort of warm feeling that he couldn't quite put into words. Slowly, he felt himself unconsciously leaning his head down, resting it lightly on her shoulder, and closing his eyes. "Thank you."

chapter 13- day 4- really late

Yawning, Tohru stretched her arms over her head. Her neck was really sore from some reason too. But then again, leaning over on someone's shoulder all night was bound to give you a stiff neck... Someone's shoulder... Someone's shoulder?... Yuki's shoulder! Wait, what! Why has she been sleeping on Yuki's shoulder! "Oh my god," Tohru shrieked, jumping to her feet. She looked around frantically at the living quarters of the yacht and screamed, shaking Yuki awake.

"Huh, what's the matter," he mumbled, his eyes not even opening.

"S..Sohma-san!" Tohru cried, pointing out the window. "We fell asleep! We slept here all night! I... I have to go to work this morning!"

"What's a work? Morning? Froggies jumping on a lily pad..." Then Yuki fell over on the couch, snoring loudly.

"What are you talking about!" Tohru yelped in panic. "Please wake up! I have to go to work!"

"W.. Work!" Yuki shouted, suddenly wide awake. He ran frantically to the clock on the wall and squinted at the numbers. "I'm late! I'm late!" he yelled. "Crap! How did we fall asleep!"

"I have no clue," Tohru whimpered, looking down at her rumpled clothing. "I remember watching tv... and then... I dont' know."

"Why didnt' Momiji wake us up?" Yuki groaned, running to the captain's cabin. He knocked heavily on the door, shouting loudly. "Momiji, open up!"

"Hmm, what is it?" Momiji yawned, running a hand through his blond hair. Tohru watched him in surprise as he emerged from the empty bedroom rather than the captain's room.

Yuki spun around to face him cousin angrily. "Why did you let us fall asleep!"

"You didn't tell me what you guys were planning to do?" Momiji shrugged. "I thought you did it on purpose."

"Look, never mind," Yuki sighed. "Please just hurry and take us back. We're both late for work as it is."

"Can do, boss," Momiji saluted. He passed by Yuki to the Captain's room, pulling the door open and going inside. "I'll try and get us back as quick as I can."

Uotani looked around in panic, the surroundings coming into focus. What... what the hell was she doing in her car? Glancing outside, she realized she was parked at the dock in the same place she had been when she got there. Uo groaned, squeezing her eyes shut. Why was she still here? Was it really morning already?

Well, let's see... she remembered rowing... and rowing... and rowing some more... And feeling exhausted... and kicking Kyo's unconscious corpse in frustration... and then going back to rowing... and then, hours later... making it back to shore... and then dragging Kyo into the back seat of her car...

Freezing, Uo turned around in the driver's seat to look behind her and let out a terrified yelp when she saw Kyo snoring soundly in the back. What the hell! She must have fallen asleep from exhaustion the moment she sat down in front of the wheel! This was horrible! What would her husband say! She had stayed out all night, spending the night in a car with another guy no less! And, without even the excuse of saying it was for work! Sure, her husband had stayed out all night err... several times, but he did usually call... whether it be ten at night or four in the morning... and at least he was, supposedly anyway, staying after for work!

"This sucks," Uotani moaned. Now, she no longer had the right to yell at him as much as she pleased anymore because she had just done the exact same thing she was always telling him not to do! It would make her a hypocrite! Grudgingly, she pulled out her cellphone from the dashboard storage compartment. Time to face the music and accept her fate. Just as she was about to dial her house number, she heard a loud crash in the back.

"Where the hell am I?" Kyo mumbled.

Uotani spun around, glaring at the orange haired annoyance that had just kicked her seat. "You're in my car, sunshine," she hissed. "Now get out."

"Agh!" Kyo shouted, jumping up into sitting position. "I thought you were just a horrible nightmare I was having!"

Making a face, Arisa pointed to the door. "Thanks a lot. Anyway, you are no longer unconscious. That means, I no longer have any responsibility to make sure you don't _die _out at sea. So get out."

"Wait..." Kyo said slowly, trying to make sense of what she just said. "You didn't paddle us all the way back here, did you? By yourself?"

"Yeah, I did," Uo muttered. "Now please, just get out."

"That's amazing..."

Arisa felt her face grow hot in embarrassment. Why the hell was she freaking blushing now! "If you don't mind, I have to call my husband!" she retorted. "If you really need me to give you a ride I can, but at least shut up!"

Nodding, Kyo sat back, narrowing his eyes in annoyance at her. "You have a husband?" he muttered. "Whatever... I'm late for work."

The phone shook in Arisa's hand as she dialed the number. Kureno had every right to be mad at her... but then again... she was the one that had to put up with him coming home late all the time, or not at all. It wasn't fair. The phone rang several times but no one picked up and the answering machine came on.

Frowning, Uo turned her phone off, staring down at her lap. So, it would seem, he hadn't come home again as well... Which meant... he didn't even have a clue that she had spent all night in this miserable car with a miserable, annoying little orange haired geek... So then... Then... why were they even married! Didn't he care about her at all!

Feeling as though she might cry, she suddenly noticed a yellow rectangle of paper tucked under her windshield wipers. Uh-oh, she hoped this wasn't what she thought it was. Climbing out of the car, she pulled the piece of paper out and read it, veins popping out on her forehead. A... A ticket!

_For parking in a no park, reserved area, after hours._ $75

"Argh! I don't believe this!"

"Almost there!" Momiji shouted from the wheel of the yacht as they went speeding forward.

Yuki stood at the front of the boat, leaning over the rail anxiously. He was so unbelievably late for work it was crazy. How could he expect some great promotion if he started slacking off now of all times! Glancing over to his side, he saw Tohru pacing back and forth nervously, mumbling to herself.

"I'm going to get fired," she murmured, clasping her hands together in front of her. "They'll fire me for sure. Oh why did I fall asleep, why! I'm going to get fired!" She stopped walking and pressed a palm over her forehead, tapping her foot anxiously against the wooden deck.

Yuki recalled seeing her do the same thing the first night they had gone out to dinner as well. It must be a nervous habit of hers. "Honda-san," Yuki began gently, immediately forgetting his own problems. "I'm really sorry about this. I didn't intend for us to spend the night out there like that and get you in trouble."

"Oh?" Tohru asked in surprise, looking up at him. "Oh, I'm sorry if it looks like I'm complaining," she said quickly, holding up her hands in front of her. "You don't have to apologize. I was the one who fell asleep. You went to so much trouble for me, you have no idea how much I appreciate it."

Yuki smiled at her, and motioned for her to come closer. "Look out over there," Yuki said, pointing out at the sea toward the sun.

Tohru gasped and took a step closer beside him. "Its a rainbow!" she exclaimed. "I was worrying so much I didn't even notice it."

"It must have rained last night," Yuki commented cheerfully. He looked away from the rainbow and instead gazed down at Tohru beside him, who was completely awestruck by the sight of the brightly colored rainbow before them. It was so nice being near her. When she was happy, it made him feel an indescribable sense of happiness as well. He wondered if this was what falling in love felt like. "And what do you know," Yuki said with a grin. "We're already there."

Tohru cried out with relief and the two of them hurried off the boat, leaving the rest to Momiji to pack things up. Yuki jumped into the driver's seat and Tohru in the passenger's and they sped off.

"Where was it that you work again?" Yuki asked as he turned the corner. "I'll drop you off now if you like. Or... did you need to stop at your home and get changed first?"

"Well, we have a blue work shirt with the store's name on the front we have to wear," Tohru explained. "But I can just borrow one when I get there and wear the pants I have on now." She paused, as if hesitating to restate her actual occupation to him, which made him feel even more guilty for forgetting. He knew she had mentioned it earlier though, probably that horrible first night at the restaurant, but who could blame him for not remembering every little thing that had happened then. That night had literally been a living hell.

"Just tell me what street its on," Yuki suggested finally, hoping it would make her feel less self conscious.

"No, its fine," Tohru said finally, her lips forming a tight smile. "I work at the supermarket down the street from where I live... I'm a cashier, remember?"

"I think I know which one you're talking about," Yuki agreed, hitting the brakes as they came up to a red light. He wondered why she seemed so reluctant to say it out loud. She was a hard working woman after all. She had nothing to be ashamed of. The light turned green and Yuki stepped on the gas again. Well, anyway. He'd just have to find a way to make it up to her. That was just all there was to it.

The supermarket came into view and Yuki pulled into the parking lot, stopping in front of the entrance. Tohru looked gratefully at him, putting a hand on his. "Thank you so much," she said softly. "I had a lot of fun."

"Then... then we should do something again," Yuki suggested quickly. "Did you want to get together again tonight? It doesn't have to be anything big... Maybe just stop at a coffee shop or something?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," Tohru said cheerfully. "I'll give you call when I'm off of work then. Or better yet, you can call me when you're done. I don't think I have your number yet anyway."

Yuki nodded, giving her a smile. This was going better than he had ever imagined... He really was falling in love with her. And maybe now she'd give him a goodbye kiss? A little peck on the cheek even would be good...

But instead, Tohru gave his hand one last pat, thanked him again and ran off... Oh darn.

Well, it wasn't that it really bothered her that no one had remembered her birthday or anything. She was only turning twenty after all, and that wasn't particularly an interesting number to begin with. And what with Yuki's birthday only a few days before and the deal he had made with her uncle Ayame, she should expect that hers would be a bit unexciting in comparison. Forcing herself to smile, Kisa reminded herself that Hiro had put a lot of effort into this day. That was enough to make her happy at least.

"Happy Birthday, Kisa," Hiro said awkwardly, handing her a gift. She noticed his eyes shifting uncomfortably around the empty room and he cleared his throat a little.

"Thank you so much," Kisa replied brightly. More than herself, she felt bad for Hiro. He had been so disappointed that no had showed up, as if it reflected on his own effort. But that wasn't true at all. Kisa knew that Hiro had put an amazing amount of effort into trying to put this together. She hoped he wasn't blaming himself for the fact that no one was able to attend. "Well... it's a good thing no one's here," Kisa tried to comment cheerfully. "I have classes this afternoon I wouldn't want to miss."

"Oh yeah," Hiro grunted, rolling his eyes. "Its just awesome no one had the decency to show up."

"Don't be like that, Hiro-chan," Kisa interjected pleadingly. "You know everyone had to work today. Maybe this weekend I can stop home again from campus and we can have everyone come over my family's house for dinner..." she trailed off, watching as Hiro made a face.

The door bell rang, and Kisa looked up in surprise. :"Is that your mom?" she asked in confusion.

"I don't think so," Hiro replied, shrugging his shoulders as he stood up to answer his door. "Guess someone's here after all." Kisa watched as he pulled the door open, revealing Haru and Rin.

"You guys made it," Kisa exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "I've been so busy with school, I haven't seen you two in so long!" Running over to them, she gave Haru a tight hug, and then Rin. "Why didn't you guys come to Yuki's Birthday party a couple days ago?"

"The same reason why we almost didn't come today," Rin said with a sigh. "Haru dear over here just couldn't quite seem to find Hiro's house, even with me telling him where to go..."

"But... Yuki's birthday was just at the Sohma corporation where you all work," Kisa couldn't help but comment in amusement.

"My point exactly," Rin replied flatly.

Shrugging, Haru lifted a small box, wrapped in metallic blue paper. "Let's not dwell on the past," he said quickly, "here Kisa, we got this for you." A thought seemed to cross him mind all of a sudden as he handed it to her. "And about Yuki," Haru began quickly, "I was thinking... what with him being my first love and all, I only want the best for him, and if he really wants that position, he's going to have to do something quick. He's already half way through the week and hasn't found anyone."

"Hey Kisa, what about that Machi girl you helped get a job there. She's one of the only females there not related to our family," Hiro pointed out. "Why don't you hook her up with him and get it over with."

"She's a bit on the quiet side though," Haru commented, running a hand absently through his black and white hair.

"He means strange," Rin added bluntly. "I have no clue what ever possessed you to help her get a job with our company."

"Well, she's a nice enough person," Kisa said defensively. "When I was working part time at that clothing store, she was a cashier. She said she was looking for some kind of secretarial work and I thought we could help her out." She paused for a moment, putting a finger to her chin. "That would be a cute idea," she agreed with a smile. "I just talked to her on the phone the other day. She's single... I'm just not sure whether she'd be interested in him or not. It is a bit sudden."

"I understand," Haru said firmly, putting a hand to his chest. "I shall begin the operation of setting up Machi and Yuki."

"God knows he wouldn't be able to find anyone otherwise," Rin commented with a smirk. "Even if she does have the tendency to... hmm... break things when she's frustrated."

Kagura stared blankly at the computer screen in front of her. She was supposed to be working. As if she didn't know that! Yeah, she may have made a lot of mistakes in her life but she wasn't dumb! Of course she should be working! But the problem was that she just couldn't! She hadn't heard from Kyo in two days since he had left her and she was going completely out of her mind!

Fresh tears came to her eyes and she began poking at random letters on the keyboard. Stupid... stupid Kyo. He never understood how a girl felt... And he had already found such a cute girlfriend... She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Kyo was a hot and sexy bastard after all, Kagura could definitely see what that other girl must see in him... But it didn't matter! That girl could never love him as much as she did.

Sighing, Kagura spun in her chair, staring up at the ceiling. Life sucked. Everything just sucked so much. She bet that if she died right now, no one would even notice or care. They'd just go prancing along with their merry lives, never giving her a second thought. Geez, how depressing.

She noticed the door to the large office swing open and Yuki come stumbling frantically in out of no where. Peeking over her cubicle wall, she watched as Yuki straightened his shirt and came hurrying through. That was strange. Was Yuki late for work? He was never late... And, not to mention the fact that work started an hour and a half ago. That was just plain ridiculous. Ah well, wasn't any of her buisness.

Turning her attention back to her blank computer screen, Kagura took a sip from the water bottle beside her and began strumming away without really paying attention to what she was doing. Let's see, profit for the year was this and this. Yeah, so, whatever. New projects that are being proposed... sure, just do them all, who cares. Done, done, done.

"Good morning Kagura," a voice said cheerfully, peeking into her cubicle. "You look a little depressed this morning. Anything wrong?"

Kagura looked up in surprise at Yuki, who was grinning at her like some mad man. What on earth had happened to him! She had never, ever, in her entire life, seen him look this... what was the word... thoughtful?... concerned?... Happy? Yeah, that had to be it. She had never seen him look this happy before. "I... I'm fine," Kagura finally managed to reply, wiping at her wet eyes. "Thank you. What about you?" she asked, trying to sound cheerful as well. "What put you in such a good mood."

"Oh, nothing in particular," Yuki shrugged. But Kagura could tell that was a bald faced lie. Yuki was practically beaming. It was... kinda weird actually.

"S... Sohma-san," a voice called nervously, coming up from behind Yuki.

Yuki turned around to look at her in surprise. "Ah, good morning, Himiko-san."

An attractive, short woman with black hair nodded enthusiastically, her voice shaking a little as she held a little box out to him. "I... I just happened to be baking a cake this morning," she laughed awkwardly. "When I remembered, hey, I don't even like cake. So, I was wondering if you'd like to have it. I love to cook you know. I do it all the time. As a matter of fact, my friends have always said I'd make a wonderful wife... Hehe..." she trailed off, placing the box in his hands. "Uhh... I hear you're looking for a wife... right Sohma-san?"

"Not... not right at this moment," Yuki said finally. "Thank you for the cake." The woman's face fell and she hurried off, not looking back.

"Hmm, all the ladies must be like hawks around here," Kagura mused. "What with that announcement your brother made the other day at your birthday party. You've become quite the eligible bachelor."

"To tell you the truth, I had completely forgotten for one whole blessed day," Yuki commented sarcastically. "But then I come back here and reality comes back to kick me in the butt."

Kagura looked at Yuki thoughtfully. He really was a good guy. Maybe she should just marry him? From what she had heard, Yuki didn't have any other options at the moment anyway and was going to end up losing out on that big job offer. Hehe, and if she hooked up with Yuki, Kyo would be so unbelievably jealous, he'd be begging to come back. So, she'd be helping him out and he'd be helping her out, right? Grinning coyly to herself, Kagura glanced down at the engagement ring on her finger. There was just no way Kyo could leave like that... He had to come back to her... right? "Oh, Yuki-kun," Kagura said with a bright smile. "Why don't we go out tonight after work? It'll be my late birthday present to you."

"Uh... I really can't," Yuki said apologetically. "I already have plans."  
Kagura could feel her stomach drop in disappointment. She had thought Yuki was a workaholic loner, and proud of it too! What the heck was he doing with plans already... "Oh, I get it," Kagura laughed, standing up beside him. "You have a date with your work right? Don't worry. Any little projects you have can wait for now. One night off won't kill you."

"What?" Yuki asked in confusion. "I mean, I have plans with someone else."

"Are you serious?" Kagura asked incredulously. "You mean, like a real human being?" Yuki nodded, making a face, and Kagura realized she probably could have worded that in a thousand ways better than how she just had now. "Well, what do you know. It seems your twenty-fifth year is your charmed year, after all," Kagura mused. "You've really grown up." Sighing, she placed a hand dramatically over her heart. "And here I am, a ripe twenty-seven and still unmarried myself. What a cruel world we live in. Even when I ask my dearest friend, and co-worker, not to mention fellow Sohma and zodiac member, to join me for a little dinner after work, I'm rejected! Oh cold cruel world! Woe is me!"

"Kagura," Yuki sighed. "I'm not trying to reject you. I just can't make it tonight."

"Its all right," Kagura shrugged. "I understand. No one wants a poor, old woman like me who's just been dumped by her fiance for the past two years."

"Kyo dumped you," Yuki asked in concern.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, he did," Kagura muttered bitterly. She really didnt' feel like talking about it but it seemed like she was going to end up doing it anyway. "But... I mean... I just _know_ he'll be back though... He... he loves me... right?"

"You know what, dinner does sound nice after all," Yuki said quickly. "I'll treat you."

chapter 14- day 4- a change of heart

Stupid Yuki, knocking him unconscious all night like that. That guy was a dumb bastard till the bitter end. Kyo must have his revenge!_ Die Yuki! You'll never get that stupid promotion! _As a matter of fact, he could still feel a damned bump on the back of his head too. Hurt like hell. But whatever... Much as he hated to admit it, he was kind of running out of steam. You can only go on so long fighting a losing battle on pure hatred alone. After awhile, you just feel kind of worn out, like you don't even know what you're doing anymore.

And he had to admit, Tohru was pretty cute. She seemed like such a sweet girl... so completely different from Kagura, who was basically out of her mind. If the circumstances had been a little different, she may have been the kind of girl Kyo would have really fallen in love with, or at least would have liked to fall in love with. Just thinking about her even made him want to see her again, even for just a second. He wasn't sure why, or if there even was a reason, but he had a sad longing for her to look at him the way she looked at Yuki, to hear that sweet voice of hers directed towards him.

However, there was always the little problem of not knowing where Tohru was right at this moment. If he wasn't mistaken, she was probably working somewhere or another... you know, kind of like what he was supposed to be doing right now... Oh well, the diner could live without him for one day. Maybe he could just camp out in front of her apartment till she came home? But if he was going to waste that much time, he might as well just go to work. He needed to accomplish something now!

"What the hell are you thinking about?" Uotani asked, her voice annoyed.

That's right, he was still in that damned woman's car. They had been driving around for the past hour going in circles. "What about you!" Kyo shot back. "Don't you even know where you're going! I told you to just drop me off at the Red Knight's Inn."

"I have no reason to rush," Uo grumbled. "Its not like there's anyone waiting for me at home... I don't have a job... I might as well piss you off for as long as possible."

"Well, what if I had a job to go to," Kyo challenged. Technically, he did, but he didn't intend on going in today anyway so he supposed that didn't really count. "Just because you have nothing to do doesn't mean I don't."

"Fine, then why don't you just get out now!" Arisa shouted angrily, tears coming to her eyes. "I don't really care!"

"What the hell is your problem!" Kyo yelled back in disbelief. He couldn't believe she was freaking out so much. Ever since she had tried calling her husband earlier, she had been acting completely insane.

"I don't care if Kureno doesn't love me anymore," Uotani blurted out in frustration. "I don't need him. I'm an independent woman, damn it! I'll move out! I'll get a job! Not being able to work sucks anyway. I... I don't need him!"

"Ku... Kureno?" Kyo muttered in disbelief? "Kureno Sohma? I had no idea you were his wife."

"Thanks a lot," Uo grumbled, sarcastically. "Not like it matters anymore anyway. I'm not going to be his wife for long. Maybe I'll just crash at Tohru and Hana's for tonight or something."

Kyo sighed, not sure what he was supposed to say. Maybe he should be... like... comforting her or something. "Uh, hey," Kyo said uncertainly. "Don't worry about it. I know what its like to be in a bad relationship... just... don't worry about it..." There we go. He had done his good deed for the day. Probably not exactly the most endearing words of wisdom in the universe but whatever.

Glancing back at him in the rearview mirror, Kyo could see Uotani give him a small smile. "Thank you," she said quietly, turning her eyes back to the road. "I'll drop you off at that inn you're staying at now... Its not too far from here." Pausing, she stayed silent for a moment before asking, "and what about you?"

"What do you mean?" Kyo asked in confusion. Now what did she want? He had thought conversation time had ended with his caring words of 'don't worry about it.'

"You know what I'm talking about," Uotani said shaking her head. "What are you trying to do? What could you possibly hope to accomplish by your obsession with beating this Yuki guy."

Ohhh, that... Kyo wasn't sure how he could respond to that kind of question. How could he explain what it was like to be rejected and despised your entire life, and all the while, witness this other person, a guy like yourself, the same age, from the same family, live so much differently. Yuki had so much going for him. People adored and respected him, he had status and money, while Kyo had nothing. Perhaps he _was_ "just jealous", but jealousy was such a demeaning word. He felt that it didn't give his true emotions justice, to just label them so simply as mere jealousy. So what was he trying to do then? What did he really hope to accomplish?

Tilting his head to the side, he leaned against the car door, watching his reflection in the glass. Seeing himself, in this sorry state was just so pathetic. So completely overwhelmed with envy and bitterness that he would behave as irrationally as he had over the last few days. So maybe he should really be asking himself what this woman was asking him right now. What was he trying to do? If he didn't know the answer... maybe he shouldn't be doing anything at all.

"Hey, you still alive back there?" Uo joked. "I didn't mean to confuse your undeveloped brain with complicated questions or anything."

"Oh shut up," Kyo grumbled.

"And by the way," Uotani added, cutting him off. She paused, lowering her voice a notch. "I just thought that you should know... no matter what you think is going to happen by messing up that bastard and Tohru's relationship, even if it is for your own selfish reasons alone, either way, Tohru is going to be the one that is hurt the most by all this." She sighed, turning the steering wheel and sending the vehicle around a sharp corner. "I have to tell her what I know now... I can't just let some guy take advantage of her like that... But she's going to be so sad..." Glancing up at Kyo, she gave him a weak smile. "If you're going to make someone that heartbroken, you better make sure it's for a really good reason, Orange top."

Kyo didn't reply, and continued to watch himself in the glass. What kind of person was he becoming. To think he even had the gall to condemn Yuki for using Tohru like that, when really, Kyo had been turning Tohru into his own tool as well, to help him defeat Yuki, and all for the sake of his own warped idea of revenge. And what would he accomplish by all this? Yuki wouldn't get a promotion, and he'd be alone. Tohru would be depressed, and she'd be alone. And Kyo, life would be just as depressing as it always was and he too would be alone.

No one would be happy.

And it would be Kyo's fault.

"You know, you're right" Kyo said finally, breaking the silence.

Uo glanced back at him in surprise. "What was that?" she asked in confusion.

"I think you're right," Kyo agreed. "Either way, we're going to end up making her sad... I don't want her to be all depressed just because I hate Yuki... If we're going to hurt her and tell her the truth about him... it should be because we don't want him to use her anymore... and that's all. No more ulterior motives, no more selfishness, and no more revenge..."

Smiling, Uo nodded a little. "I was hoping you'd say something like that..." Then her lips curled into a frown and she made a face. "Wait a minute, why do you keep saying 'we'? You is gone and done after this. I'm the one that's going to tell her."

"What!" Kyo retorted. "Why the hell should you tell her anything. I'm the one that knows everything that's going on."

"Hmm, uh, I dunno," Uo said sarcastically, "maybe because I'm actually her _friend_."

"Hey, I'm kinda her friend too," Kyo protested. "I mean, I know who she is... and I even waited on your guy's table at work!"  
"That doesn't mean anything!"

Somehow, it just seemed as though Yuki had a particular fondness for digging himself nice, deep holes. Not just that, but then crawling into those holes and letting people throw dirt back over him. It was quite annoying. Just like now. Here he was, in the back seat of his car with Kagura, with Momiji driving, and on their way to a restaurant for dinner. Sure, he felt bad for his cousin since Kyo had decided to be his usual, annoying self and dumped her (again). But... there really was a time for everything, and now was not the time. Not when he had already promised that he would do something with Tohru as well.

But maybe, with a lot of hard work, he could do both? Yuki supposed he was about to find that out pretty soon. But the strangest thing of all was Kagura. She seemed... to be... almost... acting like all those other insane women at work... The ones that were determined to become his bride and gain all his wealth and power along with it. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, he tried to pull away as Kagura wrapped her arms around him.

"Mmm, you're so nice, Yuki-kun," she cooed. "Taking me out like this to cheer me up... I really think we're nice together, don't you."

Yuki wasn't sure how to reply, but decided it would be better to just not answer at all. Better play it safe than sorry.

"If we got married," Kagura continued cheerfully. "You could get that big promotion you've been wanting so bad. Wouldn't that be wonderful!"

Oh crap, this was getting worse and worse by the minute. Perhaps it was like that movie, the one where those aliens took over people's bodies and pretended to be them. Maybe an alien had taken over Kagura!

"And we could have two kids," Kagura continued on dreamily. "Two boys, and of course, we'd name one Kyo and the other... Kyo as well... and then Kyo-kun would be so jealous..."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Yuki tried to give Kagura a reassuring smile. So that's what this was all about. Kagura wanted to marry Yuki so that she could make Kyo jealous. At least that made more sense than the whole body snatcher theory. "Kagura, do you really think marrying me will bring that stupid cat back to you?" Yuki finally broke in. "Maybe you should just try talking to him."

Kagura remained quiet after this, pulling away and looking out the window of the car. "Yeah... I know... But I get the feeling he doesn't want to talk to me right now... He has another girlfriend already anyway..."

_Finally_, Tohru thought as she boarded the bus after work. She had felt as though she had been waiting all day for work to end. Looking down at her feet, she could feel her cheeks heat up as she thought about Yuki. Could it be? Was she really this anxious to see him again? True, she had spent every moment while she rang up the customer's purchases, thinking about his face, and smile, and voice, and...

It was so embarrassing! Why was she thinking about him like this! Besides, even though she was off of work now didn't mean they were going to go running off on a date together now. It was only five in the afternoon and she had absolutely no clue when he would be finished himself. Looking out the window of the bus, she watched the trees and buildings fly by, trying to convince herself not to think about him so much.

When she had finally made it into her apartment, she was greeted by a stony stare from Hanajima. "Why hello, Tohru-kun," she said darkly. "So nice of you to finally come home."

"I'm so sorry!" Tohru cried. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" She took her friends hands, tearfully looking up at her. "I accidentally fell asleep last night on Sohma-san's boat and then I was late for work and I had to rush over there and I should have called you to tell you I was all right but I totally forgot and my boss yelled at me for being late and I didn't get the chance..."

Smiling, Hanajima wrapped her arms tightly around Tohru in a hug, making Tohru trail off in her rambling. "Please don't worry me like that again," she said softly. "I was afraid something had happened. I had even already called my brother over to cast a curse over that Yuki Sohma fellow."

"You what!" Tohru gasped. "Where's Megumi-san right now then!"

"Why, in my room completing the curse, of course."

"Wait!" Tohru called frantically, racing toward Saki's room. "Megumi-san! Please spare him!" Panting heavily, she looked in through the doorway and found a dark haired, young man leaning over a black candle and holding something in his hand. "Megumi-san! Stop!"

"Tohru-san," Megumi said quietly in a low voice, turning to look at her. "It would seem you are all right after all. My sister was worried about you."

"Please don't curse him! Sohma-san didn't do anything."  
"If you say so," Megumi shrugged, slowly climbing to his feet. "I suppose I'll be going then. "I have classes to attend this evening."

"Thank you for coming," Hana said softly as her brother left through the front door. She turned to Tohru, shaking her head a little. "He's such a strange man."

"Ah, yes, maybe," Tohru said uncertainly, sweatdropping. That had been a little too close for comfort. She wondered what Yuki would think if he knew that her friend had almost cursed him for life. It wasn't exactly the most charming concept in the world. Letting out a little breath, she walked over to the phone and collapsed on the couch. "I promised I'd call Uo-chan too," she commented guiltily, as she reached for the receiver. A loud knock sounded on the door and Tohru looked up, putting the phone down on her lap.

"I'll get it," Hanajima said calmly, and she walked to the door, pulling it open. "Oh, Arisa. Do come in."

Uotani shuffled into the room, her hands stuffed into her pockets. "Thanks Hanajima," she mumbled. She sat herself down next to Tohru, looking her straight in eyes. "Tohru, we gotta talk."

Looking at her in surprise, Tohru wondered what could be the matter. Was Uo-chan that angry that she hadn't gotten a chance to call her yet? Oh no, maybe she had been just as worried as Hana-chan had been about her! Tohru was such a terrible friend! "I'm sorry!" Tohru blurted out suddenly. "I know I said I'd call but I was late for work and fell asleep on his ship and..."

"Woah, woah," Uotani said, putting her hands up. "Let's not get all crazy. That's not what this is all about. Look, I need to talk to about that Yuki Sohma." She paused, looking down at the floor and pushing some hair behind her ear. "Uhh... I... don't know exactly how I'm supposed to say this... but... its just... maybe you shouldn't see that guy anymore. He's not good for you."

"Wh... what?" Tohru asked nervously, not sure of what to make of what Uotani had just said. "I don't know what you mean..." So maybe Uo-chan was mad after all that she had spent all night with him. That had to be it. "I'm sorry I didn't call and if I worried you," Tohru continued laughing nervously. "But... he really..."

"No, that's not it," Uotani said, clenching her hands together in frustration in front of her. "Its just... that Yuki Sohma... you know... he's ... well, he's using you." She looked back up at Tohru's face and Tohru just watched her in complete shock. "He made a deal with that damn Sohma corporation that if he found a wife this week he could get some big promotion or something... He's just going out with you for that job... ." Uotani gazed sympathetically at her friend, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry... I know you really liked him... But you should stay away now before you really get hurt..."

Tohru's eyes widened in shock as her friend spoke, till she was trembling in her seat. She parted her lips to speak but couldn't seem to find the words. "U... Uo-chan," Tohru finally said quietly, her eyes beginning to water with tears. She tried to smile, and pulled away from Arisa, climbing to her feet. "Why are you saying these things... Why... why would you say something like this to me... Do you really dislike Sohma-san so much that you would..." _lie like this..._. No, she couldn't dare say that out loud. Uo-chan would never lie to her... even to protect her... So, maybe someone had lied to her? Tohru had no idea. She had absolutely no clue. "I... Its not true," she finally cried out loudly. "I... I'm going out with him again tonight. He... he likes me... He would never do that to me... I... I trust him..."

Turning around, Tohru ran out of the living room and into her bedroom, locking the door behind her. She curled up on the floor in front of the door and wiped at her eyes. There was no way she could believe something as ridiculous as that. Yuki would never use her... never...

Yuki tried to stifle a yawn, nodding every now and then to what Kagura was saying. She sat before him, shoveling rice into her mouth as she spoke, little flecks of white flying out every now and then and landing on Yuki's arm. Trying to brush away the chewed food from his skin, he caught Kagura sending him an accusing look.

"You're not listening," she complained, grabbing Yuki's hand. "If we're going to get married, the least you can do is listen to what your future wife is saying to you!"

"Kagura, we're not getting married," Yuki reminded her, for probably the fifth time that day. "Besides... I already have a..." uh-oh, he had almost let that slip. The last thing he needed was everyone at work gossiping about Tohru. The idea of dozens of nosy, money hungry, jealous women all spreading nasty rumors about the woman he was falling in love with really just did not sit right with him... Wait, that thought had gone slightly out of hand. In love with? Had that really just crossed his mind so casually... To think, maybe it was true. He really was falling in love with Tohru. And speaking of Tohru, he was supposed to be with her right now.

"Already have a... what?" Kagura asked in curiosity. "Go ahead and finish your sentence Yuki-kun. I won't bite."

"It's nothing," Yuki replied quickly, looking back down at his food and picking at it with this fork. He wondered to himself why he was in this annoying little diner with Kagura in the first place. Especially when his food and plate were constantly sliding over to the left of the tilted table. Shifting his plate in front of him again, the whole table rocked back and forth from its broken leg. Maybe he should stick of wad of napkins under it so it would quit bothering him so much. Kagura moved and the table wobbled again, shaking his glass of water in front of him.

Casting one last, suspicious look, Kagura continued. "Well, anyway, like I was saying. So, Kyo-kun... he took me to this beautiful cliff overlooking the sea. I had no idea why we were there. He said it was a surprise. This was almost two years ago, by the way..." she trailed off, her face growing red and her eyes glancing down at the ring on her hand. "And then," she murmured dreamily. "That was where he proposed to me. It was so perfect. I thought I was dreaming."

"You don't say," Yuki nodded, trying to sound interested, even though he was bored out of his mind. He needed to leave, that's what he needed to do. This had gone on long enough. "That's all very exciting and everything," Yuki added finally. "But I really should be going now." Tohru was probably getting angry at him right this moment. He had promised to call her as soon as he was finished with work and here he was in a diner with another woman. True, the woman was his cousin, but she was a woman none the less, and not to mention the fact that she seemed to have this strange notion in her head that they should get married and name all their kids Kyo.

Kagura frowned, crossing her arms in front of her. "Don't tell me you're going already," she complained. "Our food just got here."

"Well, I'm pretty full, and like I said before, I have plans tonight," Yuki reminded her. "It was nice having dinner with you though. I'm sorry for having to rush away like this."

"You're so mean," Kagura muttered. "This is no way to treat a future wife." Standing up, she tossed her napkin on the table and held out her hand. "Money," she demanded, looking pointedly at the wallet he held in his hand. "For a taxi."

Sighing, Yuki pulled out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to her. "You don't have to be so angry about it.

chapter 15- day 4- i want to trust you

There were so many reasons why Tohru should believe that Yuki may be using her. For one thing, her best friend Uo-chan had just told her that he was. In any other situation, that would have been enough. As a matter of fact, this was probably the first time in her life that she had ever doubted her friend like this.

Let's see, there were more reasons than that as well... she supposed... if she really thought about it, that is. For example, how could Tohru say with such certainty that Yuki wasn't? Did she really know what kind of person he was? She had only known him for about three days now and that was hardly enough time to truly get to know someone... And then there was always the fact that she had no idea why he had taken such a sudden interest in her in the first place...

Sighing, Tohru stood up from her place curled up on the floor in front of her bedroom door. There were so many reasons not to trust him when she thought about it like this. It made her kind of sad. Walking toward her bedroom window, she leaned against the window sill, gazing outside. The sun was already going down and he still hadn't called her. She wondered if he was going to keep his word about taking her out tonight... because... she really felt that she needed to see him again, to reassure herself that he wasn't using her... that she could trust him.

Tohru ran a hand along the pale, copper colored curtains along her window, watching the little specs of dust as they danced in front of her in the beams of sunlight streaming in from outside. She had picked these curtains because they reminded her of her mother's hair. As a matter of fact, everything in her room, from carpeting to bedding, was the same shade of faded auburn. She wondered if others would find it strange if they knew about it... if Yuki would have found it strange.

As the seconds passed, and seconds blurred into minutes, Tohru found her foot tapping nervously against the floor. The sun was setting steadily, disappearing over the horizon. Still no call. Please... there was no way she could trust him and she couldn't speak to him just once last time. She wanted to trust him so badly. Maybe it was true... everything Uo-chan had said... Maybe what she thought they had together... had all been a lie...

A loud ringing sound made her jump in surprise, and Tohru's eyes went immediately to the phone by her bed. Leaping on the receiver, Tohru picked it up, a shaking hand pressing it up to her ear. "H..Hello?"

"Honda-san?" Yuki's voice came nervously. "I... I'm really sorry its so late. I wanted to get a hold of you sooner, but you see, I was held up a bit."

"It's all right, Sohma-san," Tohru said happily, feeling tears of relief well up in her eyes. That voice. This was the voice of a man she had faith in, a man she cared about. It was almost as if she had been afraid a complete stranger would call and she wouldn't be able to recognize him. But no, this was still Yuki Sohma, the same one she had spent so much time with these last few days. Yuki wasn't using her, right? It was a lie. It had to be. He was her friend. A true friend... and she wouldn't let a false rumor take that away from her.

"What time did you want me to pick you up then?" he asked, his voice sounding more and more cheerful by the minute. "I was thinking we could go see a movie. There's a new one that just came out that looked pretty interesting."

"I'd love to," Tohru replied, smiling to herself. "I can be dressed in a half hour or so... Just take your time and come whenever you'd like."

"All right, then. I'll see you soon. Bye."

"Bye," Tohru said, pausing before putting the receiver back. It looked as though she had been worrying about nothing after all. How silly of her to get so worked up. Setting down on her bed, she gazed at the framed picture of her mother on her bed stand, right next to her alarm clock and a glass of water. "Wish me luck, mom," she said softly.

"Tohru," a voice called gently, knocking on the door. "Its Arisa. Can I come in?"

Tohru bit her lip, not wanting to sound rude, but truthfully, she really didn't feel like talking right this second. "I'm changing," Tohru finally replied. At least that was true. She did have to get dressed for when Yuki came. Going to her closet, she pulled the cord above her, filling the small area with light.

From the other side of her bedroom door, Tohru could hear Uotani pacing back and forth in the hallway. "Hey Tohru," she called. "Look, I'm really sorry that I upset you and all. It's just... it's just that I don't wanna see you get hurt, you know?"

Tohru paused as she reached out for a white blouse, closing her eyes. "I know," she sighed. "I shouldn't have gotten so angry about it. I'm sorry too."

"Well... just promise me you'll be careful, all right?" Uotani continued. "I gotta head home so..." she trailed off, and Tohru could hear Uotani stop moving completely, before leaning against the other side of the door, her voice choked with emotion. "Tohru... you do... you do believe me, don't you? I mean, you know I'd never lie to you..."

She had always, always had so much faith in her friends. She knew that they would never do anything, say anything, to hurt her. So why was Tohru doubting her now? What kind of person was she becoming... foolishly acting on her emotions rather than using her head. But as much as she wanted to believe Uo-chan... she wanted even more so to believe that Yuki was innocent... "I guess... I guess I don't," Tohru finally replied softly.

Kyo bit his lip as he sat curled on his bed in the motel, thinking hard to himself. He wondered if Arisa had already told Tohru the truth about Yuki. He had to admit there was something about that yankee that he found fascinating. She was probably one of the most beautiful woman he had ever met for one thing, and she had fierce sort of fire about her that he found extremely sexy as well. Could it be? Was he really starting to develop feelings for her? But... there was always the slight problem of her being... you know... married. The two seemed to be on rocky water right now but that didn't change anything. Married was married, and there was no way around that, unless he wanted it to get extremely messy of course.

The motel phone sitting on a small table in the corner began to ring and he reluctantly picked it up, a quiet computerized voice coming in on the other end. "Phone call from outside line. Press the star key if you accept." Sure whatever.

"Ky...Kyo-kun," a female voice stammered nervously from the other end as soon as he pressed it. Ah shit. He should have known it would just end up being Kagura. Why didn't he ever learn? It wasn't like anyone else ever called him anyway. "How... how are you doing?" she continued, her voice struggling to sound cheerful. "I'm in a cab right now... I was taking Yuki out to lunch for his birthday but he kind of ditched me..." she laughed awkwardly from the other end, but she sounded as if she may cry. "I just wanted to hear... your voice... and I so I thought I'd call you on my cell..."

Sighing, Kyo ran a hand through his hair as she spoke. Not a good time Kagura. It was true that he felt really guilty about the way he had left her... He had even considered apologizing and coming back. But right now... right now his feelings were even more confused. There was no way he could just come back with the things the way they were... First, he had to sort out his own emotions... But Kagura... she sounded so sad...

"And... I just..." Kagura added, now crying loudly on the other end. "I just really, really miss you," she choked. "I'm sorry for everything... please... please come back home... I just want to be with you again..."

"I'm sorry," Kyo muttered, moving the phone away from his ear and replacing it back on the holder. "I just can't."

He could hear her protests from the other side as he hung up. "No wait! Kyo-k..." and then there was silence. _I'm really sorry Kagura. _

It just couldn't be helped. It wasn't as though Yuki had been trying to be rude or anything, but he had already told Kagura that he had plans, hadn't he? Leaning against the door in the back seat of the car, Yuki tried to make himself feel less guilty. Sure, that stupid cat had dumped Kagura (again), but he hardly saw how that made it his responsibility to make things all better again.

Kagura seemed to have this strange idea that she could marry him and somehow, that would make both of them as happy as clams. Yuki supposed she believed that by doing so, Kyo would become jealous, (though Yuki couldn't help but doubt whether or not that would really happen.), and Yuki would have found a wife, and would get that big promotion he had been dying to have ever since Ayame had first tormented him with the idea.

When he thought about it. Kagura's offer should be a dream come true. Here she was, suggesting they get married for the sake of nothing but their own personal interests. If she had made such an offer before he had met Tohru, he would have literally jumped on the idea. He would be able to get that job he wanted so badly, and not have to worry about having to find a real, honest to goodness, we love each other with all hearts, wife. But somehow, with the way things were now, Yuki couldn't even imagine being with anyone other than Tohru. The very idea seemed ridiculous to him.

Even though having that job had been so painfully tempting at first, to the point where Yuki would've done anything to get it, now he wasn't so sure. If Kagura could offer to marry him so easily, without any real love or responsibility, and Yuki still didn't find the offer appealing in any way, then maybe that job wasn't as important as he had first believed. Because, now, when he thought about marriage, he no longer associated it immediately with Ayame's proposal. Instead... he thought of Tohru... and how nice it would be to be with her for the rest of his life.

What did this mean? Should he give up the whole promotion idea in favor of a love that may or may not grow into something real and everlasting. For all he knew, Tohru didn't see him as anything more than a friend right now. Maybe she would find someone else one day, someone more sincere, and confident, and clever, and funny, who could make her laugh, and love her without any guilt.

And he did feel guilty. Yuki realized that he felt overwhelmed with regret, knowing that the only reason he had started the relationship in the first place was because he had wanted to make it big in the business world. Maybe someone like him, who put his ambitions before the feelings of others, didn't deserve to be with her. Maybe the wise thing to do would be to marry Kagura, without any love, without any commitment, and not drag Tohru into his selfishness. He didn't deserve to love her... Someone like him, didn't deserve to love someone as sweet and trusting as Tohru.

The car came to an abrupt stop and Yuki looked out of his window in surprise. "We're there already?" he commented.

"Guess that's what happens when you go off into your own little world like that," Momiji joked. "Something on your mind you'd like to talk about?"

"No... not really," Yuki replied, shaking his head. "I don't know...," he wondered if telling Momiji would make him feel better. Even just saying the words out loud may bring some kind of relief. "I guess I'm wondering what kind of person I really am. If I'm someone who can risk it all in the name of love, where I may end up hurting the other person or myself... or just someone who feeds his ambitions, doing whatever it takes to get ahead. I get the feeling that no matter which path I choose... I'm going to end up hating myself in the end."

"Wanna know what I think?" Momiji asked with a smile.

"Sure, go ahead."

"I think you're giving this way to much thought," the younger man shrugged, shifting the car gear into park. "You should have a little more faith in yourself." He paused, pointing to the time in the car. "And you should probably hurry and pick up your little girlfriend. You don't want to keep Tohru waiting anymore!"

Opening the car door, Yuki looked back at Momiji and smiled. "Thanks." Maybe he was right. Kagura's offer had just confused him and made him doubt himself for a moment. Being with Tohru, spending every moment possible with her, was the only thing important to him right now.

Tohru shifted back and forth, unable to keep still in her room as she waited for Yuki to come. Smoothing out the pair of dark jeans she was wearing with her hands, she took one last look in her full length mirror. She... looked... okay... but not great. Ah well, not much she could do about that now. Maybe she should try brushing her hair again. Grabbing her brush from the top of her dresser, she ran it through her hair several times before putting it back down. The door bell rang in the living room and she jumped a little.

"Tohru-kun," Hanajima called softly through the door, "Yuki Sohma is here."

"I.. I'm coming," Tohru replied quickly. Her eyes sweeping across the room, she grabbed her purse from her bed and swung it over her shoulder. The weather would most likely stay a comfortable temperature so she didn't think she needed to bring her coat. Plucking a fuzzball from her cream colored sweater, she hurried out of the room and into the hallway where Hanajima was waiting for her.

"If what Arisa says is true," Hanajima began in a low voice. "I'm not sure I can let you leave with that evil man."

Tohru glanced over at Yuki who was waiting patiently on the couch, petting the top of Kyoko's head. "Hana-chan," Tohru pleaded quietly, turning back to her friend. "I'll be fine. I know I can trust him so please don't worry about me."

Hanajima watched her silently for a moment before nodding. "Just be careful," she said quietly before walking away and disappearing into her own room, shutting the door behind her. Tohru watched her, letting out a little sigh. Her friends were making this more and more difficult by the minute. "Sohma-san," she called out finally, trying to smile cheerfully. "I hope you weren't waiting long."

Yuki grinned at her, standing up from the couch, and Tohru felt her heart leap in her chest. There was nothing to worry about. Tohru was sure of it. This was the Yuki she knew... the one she loved... at least... that's what she was going to tell herself for now. This was what she wanted to believe... "So, which movie were we going to see?" Tohru asked finally, as she joined him at the front of the room.

"Well," Yuki began hesitantly. "I wasn't sure what kind of movies you liked so I figured we could pick one together when we get there. I checked the paper at work and it looked like there were a few good ones."

"Oh, I have an idea," Tohru grinned as they went out the front door. "Let's see _At Long Last. _Its supposed to be a really interesting mystery about a guy who loses all his memories in a car accident."

Yuki nodded as they went into the elevator. "Sounds good," he agreed. "We just have to find out what time it starts."

_I really am a fool, aren't I... But I think, I'm going to believe in him just a little longer. It may turn out to one big lie, but regardless, I want to live in this lie for as long as I can, even if it ends up hurting me more in the end. I just want to be near him... Being close to him like this, it sends chills down my spine. And when he smiles at me, my heart beats so fast I can hardly breathe. _

_Maybe I'm naïve, just living in the moment without thought about future consequences. But truthfully, that doesn't seem all that important to me right now. For now, all I can think about is how much I love him, and foolishly dream that he feels the same._

Hanajima flicked on the light in her room and padded in her bare feet to her desk. Pulling open the desk drawer, she fished out a dark colored journal and pen. The desk was a rich, dark brown mahogany with a wide, rectangle strip of deep violet material trimmed with black lace laying on top of it. Setting down at the desk, Hanajima opened the book to a blank page and began to write about her day at work, progressing to the rest of that evening as well.

It was strange how something so simple could have the calming qualities that it had but it did. Writing in her journal had become a regular, daily activity, as necessary as breathing air or sleeping. When she wrote, all her emotions seemed to come pouring out of her, which she knew was the complete opposite of how she normally was. Usually, she liked to keep somewhat of a calm exterior, masking how she really felt.

She paused when she heard a light scratching on her door and turned to look at it, feeling annoyed to have been interrupted during her serene moment of self reflection. The small whining voice sounded from the other side and Hanajima sighed, climbing to her feet and walking to the door. Pulling it open, Kyoko came bounding in, barking and pawing at her legs. "It looks as though you're a little lonely as well." Hanajima said softly, bending down and picking up the little, furry dog. Kyoko licked at her cheek, and Saki made a face.

Going to her bed, Hanajima set Kyoko down and pet her gently over her head. "Tohru-kun's been so busy lately," she murmured, more to herself than the poodle before her. "Perhaps... Yuki Sohma will take her away one day and... she'll never come back again..." Looking down at her lap, she added quietly. "And then it'll just be you and me, Kyoko."

chapter 16- day 4- some time apart

_There's too much I can't say_, Yuki thought grimly, as he glanced over at Tohru's cheerful face. She had no idea, did she... that he was fighting an internal struggle between his growing love for her and his own selfish ambitions. This was exactly why he didn't deserve to be with her. Maybe he should just stop now before he hurt her anymore. He reached out for the door to the movie theater, holding it open for her to go inside. Tohru smiled at him as she went in, and Yuki followed close behind. The theater lobby was brightly lit, the smell of melted butter and popcorn immediately attacking their senses.

Yuki took her hand, leading her through the heavy crowds of people and to the back of the ticket line. Brushing a strand of hair from his face, he looked around, a bit surprised by how crowded it was on a weekday.

"That new movie _On the Road, _just came out today," Tohru mused thoughtfully, as if reading his mind. "That's why there are so many people."

"I've never heard of it," Yuki replied, looking down at her. "What's it about?"

"Never heard of it?" Tohru asked in surprise. "They were making such a big deal about it on tv too because its based on this really popular book..." she furrowed her brows, tapping her chin. "Let's see... I think its about this man who's friend offers him a thousand dollars if he gets married to this one woman. So the two of them get together and the woman falls in love with him but the man is only with her for the money..." Tohru trailed off, a strange look crossing her features. But the look disappeared quickly and she looked up at him with a thin smile. "Maybe we should go see it."

Yuki felt his heart stop in his chest as he watched her, wondering if somehow she had already found out about his deal with Ayame. "I... I thought you wanted to see _At Long Last_," he said finally, laughing nervously. "Its up to you of course. Whatever you want to see is fine."

"Well..." Tohru said quietly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Let's watch this one instead. I'd like to see how it ends."

Nodding, Yuki stepped up to the register and bought two tickets for the movie. There was no doubt about it. She knew. Somehow, she already knew. What was he going to do? Why was she even here then if she knew about the deal? He would probably be better off not saying anything for now... The man at the register handed him the two small rectangles of paper and Yuki took them absently, tucking them into his pocket. Taking Tohru's hand again, he led her through the crowd to the refreshment stand. "Do you want any popcorn?" he asked, pointing to the sign above them, listing all the snacks and prices.

"Sure," Tohru said cheerfully. "Thank you."

Yuki purchased the extra large tub of popcorn, and two large cups of soda. "Did you want anything else?" he asked, handing her one of the cups.

"Oh no, this is more than enough, " Tohru laughed, eyeing the gigantic pile of popcorn in his arms.

Paying for the food and grabbing his own drink, Yuki handed their tickets to a short, burley man by the door, and the two went inside the dim theater. Soft music played and a few random advertisements and trivia questions popped up on the screen every few seconds or so. Yuki walked to the back of the theater, taking a seat in the middle of the last row and Tohru sat down beside him. "I guess we're a little early," Yuki commented, glancing around the nearly empty room. He set his drink down and checked his watch. "We still have fifteen minutes." He looked up and noticed Tohru gazing intently at his face. "Is something wrong?"

Tohru shook her head, looking away. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking... " she trailed off, and looked away, her cheeks flushing a bright pink, "I was just thinking that I should have more faith in the people I care about...I'm sorry, I know you must have no clue what I'm talking about." She tilted her face back up towards his, watching him thoughtfully. "Thank you for taking me out tonight. I really enjoy being with you."

"Sure, no problem," Yuki said quickly, desperately wanting to change the subject. Actually, he had a feeling he knew exactly what she was talking about. He let out a silent sigh, turning his gaze to an advertisement for shoes on the screen. Maybe she'd be better off is she didn't trust him. That way, he wouldn't be able to hurt her.

Uotani gently tipped the glass of wine in her hand back and forth, watching the dark liquid swirling inside. Pausing, she lifted it to her lips, taking another sip and emptying it completely. Her heavy lidded eyes moved to the nearly empty bottle in front of her, sitting on the coffee table beside her wedding ring. Leaning forward on the couch, she wrapped her fingers clumsily around the neck of the bottle, filling her glass to the top once again, drops of wine splashing onto her shirt. She tilted her head back and downed the entire glass in one gulp, a thin stream of liquid running down the side of her mouth and down her chin. She wondered if she had ever felt this miserable before in her entire life.

_I remember the first time I saw him. I thought to myself, "Now there's a man." Love at first sight? I guess that's what they call it. All I knew was that this was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. When he smiled, it was like everything that was ever wrong with the world became right. Like I could forget all my worries altogether, lost in those sea green eyes of his. And when he laughed... it was like... music. _

Letting out a groan, Uotani put a hand to her throbbing head, before throwing the glass against the floor, listening in satisfaction as it shattered loudly. The door creaked open and she looked up in amusement as Kureno stepped into the living room. "Well, well," she mumbled, her words slurring together. "Look who finally decided to come home." She chuckled bitterly to herself, climbing unsteadily to her feet, a shard of glass cutting into the side of her foot. "Why hello sweet heart!" she cooed loudly, making her way toward him. "How are you? Its been so long since I last saw you, I was beginning to think you had forgotten where our house was." She laughed loudly as if she had just said something extremely funny, pushing a clump of limp blond hair from her eyes. "That was a joke, hon. Why aren't you laughing?" she asked cheerfully.

_I was so completely in love with you._

"Arisa," Kureno began uncertainly. "I'm really sorry I haven't been home lately... but you know how busy I am at the office. You can understand that, can't you? My job is really important to me."

_Love at first sight._

"Sure, sure," Uo nodded enthusiastically. "That's me, the understanding, ever faithful wife." Tears came to her eyes as she began laughing again, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. What difference does it make if I see you once a day or once a week? Hell, why don't you just come home once a month if it'll make it easier for you." Her smile faded as she punched him again on the chest, much harder this time. "You're such a bastard," she choked, wiping at her eyes. Lifting her hands, she began beating him as hard as she could, sobbing loudly. "I can't stand you," she cried, squeezing her eyes shut. "Why don't you just get the hell out of here!"

_And I knew, this was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with._

"Arisa," Kurena said, his voice becoming firmer. He grabbed her wrists, trying to calm her down. "What's wrong with you?"

"I want a divorce," Arisa shrieked, struggling against him. "I can't take this anymore. If you love your job that much, you can move in there. I don't ever want to see your face again!"

_Together for all eternity._

"What are you talking about! Why are you so angry?" Kureno asked exasperated as he tried to hold her arms still. Arisa continued to pull away, kicking him hard in the knee with her bleeding foot. "Do you think I'm cheating on you?" he demanded, pushing her back onto the couch. "Is that why you're so mad? I told you I have to stay at the office for work. I'm not running off with other women."

_I was so in love with you Kureno..._

Arisa stopped struggling, her body going still on the couch as she stared ahead of her. It was so stupid. Everything was just so stupid. So that was how he saw it? She began to laugh a little again, covering her face with a hand. "You just don't get it, do you," she muttered. "I never thought you were cheating on me. I know you wouldn't do that. You don't hit me, you don't cuss or drink or even get angry all that often. But you know what..." she looked up at him, her eyes dark and accusing. "If you loved me, if you really loved me, you'd want to spend at least a little freaking time with me. All you care about is your job and I can't deal with that, all right? I think we should live apart for a little while... till we figure out what to do..."

_And the sad thing is, I still am._

A young woman with long hair and solemn eyes gazed up at the movie screen. What was she doing here? She didn't even like movies. Two people seated themselves right in front of her and a feeling of annoyance welled up inside her. The man's head was blocking her view of the screen, not to mention the fact that the two of them looked so...damned happy together. Machi blinked, looking down at her lap. It was best not to say anything. She really didn't care anyway.

Machi watched as the man turned his head, his eyes gazing intensely at the other woman's. Wait... could it be... She hadn't seen his face well before in the dim theater but it would appear that she did know that man after all. Yuki Sohma, the manager of the building she worked at. What an unpleasant coincidence. But, her previous feelings had not changed. She didn't particularly care so it didn't matter...

Yuki began to laugh at something Tohru said, and Machi frowned to herself. Had she been mistaken? This couldn't possibly be the Yuki Sohma she knew. This Yuki was smiling... and laughing... and... and so completely out of character it was frightening. What had happened to the man that she had found so fascinating only days before. Try as she might to tell herself she didn't care, she couldn't help but feel disturbed at seeing him look so happy with another female. The woman in front of her excused herself and stood up, trying to make her way from the cramped seats and to the aisle.

Without warning, Yuki's head whipped around and he looked straight at Machi, his eyes focusing on her face. "Why hello," he said with a smile. "What a coincidence to run into you again. Are you here with someone?"

Machi didn't reply, stunned as she looked back at him. How had he known she was here? No one ever usually noticed her at all. She gazed down at her lap and didn't reply, wishing he would just turn back around already.

"Is something wrong?" he finally asked, furrowing his brows at her.

Jumping up from her seat, Machi kept her eyes to the floor as she hurried away, leaving Yuki in his seat, confusion written on his face. She stumbled into the aisle and raced out of the door. A man bumped into her on his way by and she lost her balance, falling to the side and grabbing the wall for support. Her hair fell over her face as she stayed there, silent and motionless for a moment as she closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. Why did he have to notice her? Just like that time when he passed her in the street, thinking she was someone else. Why couldn't he just ignore her like everyone else did. She hated him. She hated Yuki Sohma.

"Hanajima," Uo groaned, pressing a pack of ice over her forehead as she lay sprawled over the couch at Tohru and Saki's apartment. "I feel like total and complete shit." She rolled onto her side and squeezed her eyes shut, willing for the throbbing in her head to go away. Vague memories of only an hour earlier was playing over and over again in her head. Damn Kureno. She should've thrown her wine bottle at his head while she was at it.

But instead, she had settled for stuffing a bag with as many of her things as she could carry and running to Saki for comfort. She must look so disgusting right now. Uo had to admit she even felt ashamed of herself for how she had acted, but there was nothing she could do now. None of that mattered because she knew she had still been right nonetheless.

Saki shook her head, taking a seat beside Uo and wrapping her black cape more tightly around herself. "I'm sorry Arisa," she said softly. "But I'm afraid there's not much I can do about excess alcohol consumption. The only thing I can suggest is sleep."

"I'm a trying," Uo mumbled from beneath the covers. "By the way, mind if I crash here tonight? I'm thinking about divorcing that Kureno guy."

"T'was only a matter of time," Hanajima sighed, a look of approval crossing her face. "As I've always said, you'll be much happier without a man to worry about. They only bring more trouble into our lives." She turned her head to the window, her eyes gazing outside into the brightly lit rows of buildings and street lights. "Which is why I'm concerned about our dear Tohru-kun. I don't want her out with that man Yuki Sohma."

Uo nodded enthusiastically, sitting up quickly in her seat. A sharp pain coursed through her skull from the sudden movement and she groaned again, pressing her fingers against her forehead. When the pain had subsided, she looked up at Hana again, a grin spreading across her face. "I gotta fun idea," she said in a hushed tone, as if someone would hear her secret and give it away. "Let's go a spying on the two and see what's up. Gotta protect our bud, right?"

"Ah, Arisa," Hanajima said, a small smile on her face. "I've been meaning to make that suggestion all night."

Kyo ran his hands through his hair, looking at himself awkwardly in the mirror. The Inn he was staying at was pretty gross but it would do for now till he got his own place. Not to mention the fact that Kagura had called him about five times today and it was really starting to piss him off. He actually had been considering going back to her but not just yet. First he had to sort out his own feelings and that meant seeing that damned Uo chick again. As awkward as this was going to be, he was going to have to swallow his pride and admit that he wanted to see her. Who knows, maybe it would turn out to be nothing after all.

chapter 17- day 4- movie date

Glancing down at her watch, Tohru began to pick up her pace as she hurried from the restrooms. Oops, took a bit too long in there, she thought to herself. She didn't want to miss the beginning of the movie. Plus, she didn't want to keep Yuki waiting for too long either. Things just seemed a little awkward tonight for some reason, as if Yuki could see her doubts like they were scrawled in red pen all across her face. But, she wouldn't doubt him anymore!

Everyone is guilty till proven innocent! Wait, that's not right. Not exactly the best words to reassure oneself with. What she had meant to say was "Innocent till proven guilty!" There we go. That was the expression she had been looking for. Therefore, Yuki was innocent, simple as that. Poor Uo-chan must have made a mistake somewhere and had been worrying for nothing. She'd have to apologize to her later for getting so upset earlier. It was all probably just some big misunderstanding.

Tohru felt a sharp impact on her shoulder and stumbled back a little as a woman raced past her. Lifting a hand to her sore shoulder, Tohru turned to look at her, watching as a long head of brown hair scurried away. The woman paused and turned back to look at her as well, their eyes meeting for a brief second. Furrowing her brows, Tohru wondered what this unsettling feeling in her stomach was as she looked into the woman's sad eyes. And then, just like that, the woman was running off again, disappearing as quickly as she had appeared.

That was strange.

She didn't know why but it just seemed strange to her. Continuing down the hallway, Tohru went to the theater playing the movie she was seeing with Yuki. She opened the door and a loud blast of music came at her as she stepped inside. Peeking around the corner, she could see the beginning credits appearing over the screen. It looked as though she had just made it. She squinted in the darkness, trying to find her seat, and finally spotted Yuki in the dim glow of the movie projection. Stumbling though some people, over their legs and, much to their dismay, on top of their feet, she tried to make it through the aisle and back to her chair.

This was much harder than it should have been!

Losing her balance, Tohru let out a yelp as she tripped over one man's shoe and went flying forward. Oh dear, and she had been so close to making it back to her seat too. So close yet so far. She saw Yuki's eyes widen in terror as he turned to look up at her and saw that she was in the process of falling on top of him. Well now, that seemed a little uncalled for, Tohru thought in a daze. He didn't have to look that horrified, did he? She didn't weigh all _that_ much where she would crush him to a bloody pulp or anything like that.

Her arms went mechanically in front of her as a reflex to break her fall, her one hand landing on his shoulder and the other on the seat armrest on the opposite side of him.

She noticed that Yuki's arms had gone up as well, as if to catch her, or push her away, or something else that didn't quite look right under the circumstances. So one of his hands landed on her shoulder and the other on her breast, and finally that was the end of that long, falling episode. All except for his hand on her breast part. Pulling away quickly, and having regained her balance, Tohru felt her face flush bright red as she righted herself.

"S...sorry about that," he stammered. "I was just trying to... I didn't mean to."

"No, its okay," Tohru reassured him, still blushing as she took her seat beside him. "It... was my fault," she mumbled in embarrassment. "I was the one that tripped."

"Would you shut up!" the guy next to her finally yelled, his face a dark crimson color. Talk about high blood pressure. But then again, she supposed any random person would be angry if they just had their foot trampled on.

Nodding, Tohru turned back to the screen, feeling as though she were about to cry. Ah, she could always congratulate herself on how well she managed to impress the male population. Just fall on them, annoy them, step on them, doesn't matter in which order, and you'll steal their heart away. Folding her arms protectively in front of her, she wished she crawl into a nice, dark hole, preferably one with a bed in it but maybe that was asking too much.

"Hey, don't tell my date to shut up," Yuki spat, turning to the man across from Tohru.

The man looked at him in surprise before narrowing his eyes angrily. "What did you just say to me?"

"I want you to apologize to Honda-san," Yuki said dangerously in a low voice.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," the man said in disbelief, climbing to his feet. Tohru's eyes widened in fear as the man stood upright and she found that he was literally towering over them. What was this guy! A basketball player! He had to be at least eight feet tall! "Some rich, wimpy little punk trying to start a fight with me? Is that it, girly boy?"

"I'm not the one starting it," Yuki retorted. "Now apologize to my date."

Of course, under any other circumstances, Tohru would have felt completely honored that Yuki would go through so much trouble for her. It was extremely touching. However, this was obviously not just any circumstance. This was something that was going to get Yuki hurt, and hurt badly. "Uh, Sohma-san," she whispered, nudging him in the arm. "Its all right. Don't worry about me." She turned to the man and tried to smile. "I'm sorry about all this. It was my fault."

"Would you all just shut up!" Someone in the back yelled.

The man gave them one last glare before turning around and moving to the other side of the theater, and Tohru let out a sigh of relief. That could have turned out so much worse. At least that man had more common sense than to start brawling in the middle of a movie theater. And poor Yuki wouldn't have stood a chance against him.

"You didn't have to do that," Yuki said quietly into her ear as he leaned closer. Tohru felt his warm breath against her cheek and felt her face heat up. He was so close, she could smell his cologne. If she turned her head right now, their lips may even touch...

"I didn't want you to fight him," she whispered back finally, unable to think of else anything to say. His bangs brushed against the side of her face as he pulled away and looked forward again. Tohru had to remind herself to keep breathing, to keep her eyes staring ahead at the screen, to distract herself from how very close he had been to her.

"He should've apologized to you," Yuki mumbled, turning his attention back to the movie screen.

A small smile came to Tohru's face and she placed her hand on his on the arm rest. "Thank you," she said softly, her voice barely audible against the blaring voices from the movie. She stole a glance at Yuki, who was already fully engrossed in the film playing before them and realized he hadn't heard her. _Thank you._

Kyo marched back in forth in front of Tohru's apartment, trying to decide what to do. How the hell was he going to tell that damned Uo chick that he just wanted to see her again. And, to make matters worse, he didn't even know if she would be there or not. Didn't she live with her husband or something? But he could have sworn that she had also mentioned at some time or another, most likely a time he wasn't really listening to her, which had been most of the time, that she was going to leave home and crash at her friends' apartment for awhile?

Sigh. Decisions, decisions. He supposed he was going to have to go to the main door like a normal human being this time and ring the buzzer to their apartment. No more of that climbing in through the window stuff, that was for sure. Cause, god knew what happened to him the last time he did that! Sheesh.

A drop of sweat ran down his cheek and Kyo wiped it away in surprise. He hadn't even realized how nervous he was. But it wasn't just because he was thinking about going to see Arisa. It was because he felt guilty. Why did he feel like he was cheating on Kagura! They were broken up! Sure, they had spent most of their living, breathing, moments together since they were able to crawl, and sure Kagura seemed to have an immunity to him being a total and complete asshole to her, not to mention, somehow managed to still love him despite his being an asshole... among other not so nice things.

But he had to do this! How would he know if Kagura was really the one he should be with if he had never been with anyone else? Come to think of it, Kagura had been his one and only girlfriend ever, and then somehow, bam, they were engaged. Therefore, this was perfectly legal, and Kagura had no right to make him feel guility like this. "You here that," Kyo whispered harshly to the imaginary Kagura nagging at his brain. "Go away. We broke up. I can do whatever the hell I want."

The door to the apartment suddenly flew open and Kyo panicked, instinctively jumping behind a bush and hiding. Wait, why was he hiding like this? He hadn't even been doing anything wrong! Now he was going to make himself look even more suspicious than he already, almost always did! Squinting in the darkness, he was surprised to make out Uotani, along with her their other weird friend with the long dark hair. What the hell were they planning to do anyway? Kyo wondered in curiosity as he realized they were both decked out in completely black outfits, black hats and coats, and sleuthing about like they were James Bond or something. Maybe they were going to rob a bank?

He tried to stay out of sight but to his dismay, Uo caught sight of him and a big grin crossed her face. "Hey now," she shouted out. "I'd recognize that head of neon hair from anywhere. Whatcha sneaking around for Orange Top?"

"Damn it," Kyo grumbled. "Can't you be a little quieter." The last thing he needed was having the police called on him for looking like some kind of prowler.

"Ha, as if you have a right to say anything," Uo retorted. "Why are you lurking around here anyway? Trying to get to Tohru again?"

"Its none of your business!" Kyo spat angrily. No way. He was definitely not going to tell her that he had come to see her this time.

"Actually it is," Hana said slowly in a dark voice. "Now, what is this I hear? Are you stalking my dear Tohru-kun?"

"What! I'm not stalking anyone!"

Uotani gave him a look before putting a hand on Hana's shoulder. "Eh, don't worry about him," she piped in quickly. "He's harmless, I guess." She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "But what exactly are you doing here then?"

"I dunno..." Kyo mumbled, his face heating up with embarrassment. He climbed out from behind the bush and began to brush off some leaves and twigs from his clothing. "I just... thought I'd drop by... and say hi, I guess."

"Well, she's not here," Uo stated matter of factly. "She's already gone out with Yuki, though god knows I tried to warn her about him. The girl just wouldn't listen to me!"

_Not her you moron! I came to see you! How dense can you be! _But Kyo kept his mouth shut. Whatever. Let her think what she wanted. It didn't really matter, he supposed.

"But..." Uo continued in a low voice, a small smirk on her face. "We thought we'd just mosey on over there and... you know... keep an eye on them... Make sure he's treating her all right."

"We're spying," Hanajima said bluntly.

"Let's not call it that," Arisa argued. "We're just looking out for our best bud's well being. That's all." She turned to Kyo and knocked him over the head lightly with her fist. "You coming?"

Making a face, Kyo wasn't sure how to respond. Truthfully, the last thing he felt like doing was chasing after Tohru and watching Yuki manipulate her mind into actually believing he really cared about her. It was just too... pathetic... But, at the same time, he did feel a little concerned. After all, he had decided that he would help Tohru out, hadn't he? "Yeah, I guess I'll go," he muttered finally.

_"He's just using you! Why don't you see that!" Sarah cried, shaking Teresa by the shoulders. "I'm trying to help you!"_

_Teresa glared angrily at her friend, wiping at her wet eyes before pushing the girl away. "I don't care what you say," she cried. "He loves me. I know he does."_

_"Please," Sarah begged, chasing after her friend. "I'm telling you the truth. He's just using you so he can win the bet."_

Tohru frowned as she watched the movie screen. Was it just her or was this movie giving her some strange feelings of deja vou. Naw, it had to be her imagination. Just like those weird little whispers behind her that sounded so much like Hana-chan and Uo-chan, because there was no way on earth they could be here. The small voices came again and Tohru spun her head around, just in time to see three heads duck behind the seats. Little kids playing around? Or maybe she was simply losing her mind? Better to just concentrate on the movie. That seemed like her safest bet right now.

_"Well, I just don't know what to do," Aaron sighed. "I think I'm falling in love with her. I want... I want to spend the rest of my life with her."_

_"That's great," Andy laughed, smacking Aaron hard on the shoulder. "Haha, you do that and you'll be a rich man. You may just win this bet after all."_

_"That's not what I meant!" Aaron snapped angrily, knocking his hand away. "Its not about the bet. I'm really falling in love with her."_

_Andy narrowed his eyes at him, watching him carefully. "I see. Well then, I guess you'll have to make a choice won't you. Do you love her enough to throw away this opportunity to become one of the wealthiest men in the city?"_

_"I can still marry her and get the money can't I? Even if I do really care about her."_

_"Sure, sure you could," Andy shrugged. "That was the point of the bet, after all. But the real question is, if you really do love her, could you live with yourself if you did that?"_

Yuki's face was twisted into a permenant look of horror as he watched the movie, his stomach lurching uncomfortably in his gut. What in the world had possessed Tohru to make him watch this! This was horrible! It was as if the movie producers had secretly videotaped his life and were rubbing it in his face! Was he really this terrible? Was he really the evil bad guy using the innocent, beautiful, sweet girl just to further his own ambitions?

Yes! He was! This was exactly what he was doing to Tohru right now. What a horrible movie. An evil, stupid, dumb movie that he never wanted to see again in his entire life. The thought of even sitting through the rest of it was enough to make him sick. And why the heck did he keep hearing that stupid cat's voice? He could've sworn he heard Kyo's voice, mumbling and growling behind him, but that of course was impossible. Glancing around behind him, he reassured himself that no one but the few audience members were there, and turned back to the screen.

"Damn it, Orange Top," Uo whispered harshly, hitting him over the head. "We never should have brought you along. You're too damn loud."

"I'm loud!" Kyo asked incredulously. "What about you! Why do you think they've been turning around every five minutes!"

"Silence, both of you." Hana demanded darkly. "I'm trying to watch the movie."

Chapter 18- day 4- rich little office punk

Shigure shook his head in amusement as he dropped into his chair. Now, who would they invite to the wedding? The very thought of Yuki getting married just seemed hilarious to him! Though he couldn't help but wonder whether or not Yuki would succeed in finding a wife in such a short amount of time. Not that Yuki _didn't _have a mob of horny females after him. He was a Sohma after all, and if he took after his cousin Shigure at all, finding a willing woman should be no problem. Now, if only Yuki could do something about that personality of his! Then he'd really have some success! Because, to be quite blunt, the boy was a bit... dull.

Glancing over at Ayame in his office across the hall, Shigure felt the sudden urge to burst in for no particular reason. "Oh Aya, my friend!" the dog called loudly, jumping up from his seat and bounding into the office across from his. "I thought I'd drop by and pay a visit. Its just been ever so long since I've seen you last."

Ayame grinned at him, looking up at the dog. "Oh, you sweet, sweet man. To think, you came all this way just to see my beautiful self. It's really quite touching. How long has it been since we last spoke? Days? Hours?"

"Actually," Shigure replied pointedly, "I was just here about five minutes ago when I dropped off your coffee."

"That is absolutely correct," Ayame nodded. "Just nearly slipped my mind. So how have you been, my friend?"

Shigure shrugged, taking a seat in a chair before Ayame's desk and resting his elbows on the desktop of. He supposed he just really wanted to comment on Yuki's situation. "I was just thinking what a cruel, cruel man you are," Shigure teased. "Playing with our poor Yuki's heart like that."

"Oh don't be silly," Ayame laughed loudly. "I'm doing him a favor! He'd never find anyone at the rate he was going before."

Well, that was definitely true. Yuki hadn't exactly lived a pleasant life as a child, rejected by his mother, forced to follow in the family business, forced to live with Akito, not to mention being abused by Akito as well. However, contrary to what Shigure had first believed, Yuki hadn't gotten any better either. They had always thought he would heal over time, and a few years of working at their company, grow into his own man. However, if anything, he had only become more and more withdrawn from everyone else, and didn't seem to have a friend in the world. Poor guy. How a man like that was ever going to find a wife in only a week was beyond him.

"Something on your mind Gure?" Ayame asked, raising a brow in interest. "You seem to be quite the space cadet today." He wrapped his long pale fingers around his cup of coffee and took a long sip. A small smile came to his face as he lowered it and puckered his lips jokingly. "So how's the wife?"

"Mit-chan?" Shigure asked with a smirk. "Same as always I suppose." A thought suddenly occurred to him and he wondered whether he should voice it out loud. Why was Ayame so obsessed with the idea of Yuki getting married when he wasn't even married himself? A man, already at the age of 35. Perhaps his friend Aya should be worrying more about himself than his younger brother. "Aya, have you ever thought about settling down?" he asked finally.

"Are you offering?" Ayame joked, raising an eyebrow. Shigure laughed, but stopped when he saw the serious look on the other man's face. Ayame gazed off into the distance, his eyes not really focused on anything in particular. "Hmm, marriage," he murmured. Turning back to Shigure, a large grin spread across his face as he let out a giant laugh. "Don't be ridiculous!" he exclaimed, giving his long, silver hair a toss over his shoulder. "You know there's no woman beautiful enough to compete with my stunning good looks!"

Shigure was silent for a moment before smiling back. "You're absolutely right," he agreed, before standing up. He turned to the door and began to walk away, pausing just at the exit of the doorway. "I'm sorry that she left," he said quietly. "She would have been good for you." Ayame didn't reply and Shigure glanced over his shoulder, catching a glance of the man covering his eyes with this hand. He hadn't meant to stir up bad memories. Maybe this was why Ayame wanted Yuki to be married so badly though. Maybe he didn't want Yuki to end up like himself. Glancing at the clock in the hall, Shigure made a note to himself how late it was. Most of the employees at the office had gone home already. Perhaps he should head home too.

Yuki was still quivering from the movie, even after the credits had rolled and he was still sitting in his seat, staring up blankly at the screen like some kind of zombie. What kind of ending was that for a movie! The man had decided to tell the woman everything, and completely forfeit the bet, because he loved her too much to deceive her anymore. And, rather than the woman being grateful that he could love her so much as to lose everything, she became angry and left him. So the man lost the love of his life, lost the money, and that was the end. What the heck kind of movie was that!

"Eh, Sohma-san," Tohru began, her voice concerned. "Are you all right?"

Turning his head slowly to face her, his eyes focused slowly on her face. Beautiful, sweet, unsuspecting Tohru... Would she leave him too? Would he give up everything just to lose her as well? Finally he nodded, snapping back into reality. "I'm fine," he reassured her quickly. "I guess the ending was just a bit... I dunno... annoying."

"It was a sad way to end it," Tohru agreed. "But they wanted to follow the book so I guess they didn't have much of a choice." She looked at him oddly before turning her gaze back to her lap. "Do you think she made the right choice?" she asked softly. "If the man I loved was deceiving me, I think I may have left him too."

"But why!" Yuki broke in suddenly, not realizing how much anger he was putting into his voice. "Why did she leave him when he told her the truth! I mean, its not like he had meant to hurt her and... he even told her about the bet in the end. He sacrificed everything so..." he trailed off, realizing for the first time what he was saying. "Its just a movie," he muttered, climbing to his feet. "I'm sorry I got so worked up over it."

Tohru was silent as she stood up as well. Finally, a big smile crossed her face and she clapped her hands cheerfully in front of her. "Lets go get some coffee or something," she piped up, as if trying to clear the mood. "I guess that movie wasn't such a great choice after all," she laughed sheepishly. "We should have just seen the one you wanted to see. I'm sorry about that. How about I buy you some coffee to make up for it."

A look of bewilderment crossed Yuki's features for a moment at her sudden change in disposition. Finally, he smiled a little, and shook his head in amazement. How the heck could she do stuff like that? Fix the atmosphere good as new as if nothing had happened. Such a strong person. Tohru was an amazingly strong person. He wondered if someday he'd be able to be like that too. "All right," he agreed. "But I'll pay."

"Nope," Tohru said, making her way from the seats. "Its my turn. You haven't let me pay for a single thing since I met you." She stopped when she reached the aisle and leaned against a chair, waiting for him to catch up. "The least I can do is get you a cappuccino," she added with a grin.

"I guess so," Yuki replied doubtfully. He made it through the aisle, stepping over several empty cups and half eaten bags of popcorn till he was standing beside her. How she had managed to switch gears so quickly and adopt such a bright mood in a matter of nanoseconds was beyond him. But somehow, it was so like her too. Maybe that was one of the reasons why he liked her so much. It was hard to be in any kind of negative mood when she was near him. Tohru just always seemed to have this glow about her, a warm light that made his heart feel like all was right in the world.

Tohru tilted her face up to look at him, a small smile on her face. "I saw a place across the street," she said cheerfully. "We can go there."

Unable to find any words to respond with, Yuki didn't reply, and the two of them stood there for a moment in the already empty theater. He just gazed down at her silently, watching her face.. What could he possibly do to make himself worthy of her when couldn't even love her the right way? Where most men fell in love and slowly came to the decision that they would like to spend the rest of their life with this person, Yuki, as with most things, had done things completely backwards and for all the wrong reasons. He had approached her with the intention of marriage from the very beginning, and not because he loved her, or because he liked her, or even had any clue as to who she was! But because he could receive a better position at his company for it.

Yuki's eyes took on a pained look as he slowly lifted his hand to her face and touched her cheek gently. What kind of man would he be in the end... Someone who loved... or someone who wronged. Which would it be. "Honda-san," he murmured soflty. He watched her stand there before him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes widening. What could she be thinking right now? Leaning down, he closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of her breath as he came closer to her. Didn't she have any idea how deeply he was falling in love with her? Did she even feel the same? All he wanted, right at this moment, was to kiss her, and feel her lips against his.

"Ow!" Yuki said is surprise, turning around suddenly. What on earth had just happened? One minute he had been going to kiss Tohru, and the next, some unknown, flying projectile was being hurled at the back of his head. Wincing, he looked down at the ground beside him and saw a crushed aluminum can lying beside his foot. "Who threw that," he shouted angrily, looking around the empty theater. There was no response and Yuki sighed, turning back toward Tohru.

"Are you all right?" Tohru asked in concern, her face still flushed. He had wanted to kiss her so badly, but the moment was definitely gone.

"I'm fine," he said abruptly, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Who the hell had thrown that can at him? He realized how harsh he must have sounded and softened his tone a bit. "Let's go," he said with a smile. Tohru nodded and followed beside him as he led the way up the aisle and to the exit. Just as he opened the door, a fist came at him, punching him in the face and sending him crashing back against the wall. Groaning, he squeezed his eyes shut, feeling a trickle of warm liquid running down the corner of his mouth. Wiping at the trail of blood with the back of his hand, he slowly opened his eyes, trying to focus on the figures before him. Where had that come from?

"Oh my God!" Tohru cried. "Are you okay, Yuki-kun?"

A man stood in front of the door way, only his silhouette visible against the brightly lit hall. Stepping into the theater, he cracked his knuckles and Yuki could see two other men following close behind.

"Hey, Bill, so that's him?" one of the men asked. He lifted his fingers to his chin and smoothed out a scruffy looking dark beard. "You weren't kidding when you said he was a rich little punk."

"Yeah," Bill growled, still rubbing his fist. "This guy had the gall to order _me_ to apologize for his own shit. Damn punk. Think just cause you got money, you're better than me? Like you can order me around or somethin'?"

Yuki couldn't help but smirk as he looked up at them. So now he was the punk? That was pretty funny. Well, they had caught him a little off guard. That was for sure. Yuki had to admit, he hadn't exactly been expecting someone to attack him the minute he opened the door. But a little exercise might do him good tonight. What with working in an office all day, he had been beginning to feel a little sluggish. It was too bad all three of these men were so weak. It wouldn't be any fun that way.

"Oh dear," Hana sighed, placing a hand to her cheek. "Things seem to be going a bit badly. Shouldn't we intervene?" And after all that effort she had put into throwing that empty canned beverage at Yuki Sohma's head in order to keep him from molesting her dear friend Tohru-kun. However, she was receiving the most curious electric waves from that Yuki Sohma character that was making it hard for her to feel as concerned as she normally would have for Tohru's safety. If anything, Yuki Sohma seemed almost ecstatic, invigorated by the concept of fighting these men. How... peculiar...

"I gotta do somethin' about this," Uotani grumbled, rolling up the sleeves of her shirt. Hanajima glanced over at her friend. They had been crouched here in the cramped quarters behind the seats for nearly two hours now, watching Tohu and Yuki through the entire movie. And crouched with an even odder character Kyo Sohma, no less.

"I don't think you need to do that," Hanajima said quietly, turning her attention back to the group of men hovering over Yuki, Tohru gaping at them from the sidelines. "I get the feeling this fight will not turn out as we might expect it would."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arisa asked incredulously, looking up at Hanajima. "The kid's gonna get creamed! I mean look at him. How the hell's a scrawny, feminine looking office geek gonna stand up to those three?"

"Just watch," Hana replied simply. She noticed Kyo fuming beside them, refusing to even acknowledge the ruckus going on in front of the exit. Apparently he knew as well as she did that Yuki Sohma was going to win this fight.

_I don't believe this_, Tohru thought in shock, her eyes wide. Yuki was going to be killed! And it was all her fault! The whole reason why they were mad at him in the first place was because of her! This was terrible. She had to do something. Anything.

"P...please...please don't hurt him," she stammered, her voice shaking uncontrollably. "He didn't... he didn't mean to offend you. We're very sorry..." she trailed off when she realized no one was listening. The three men were glaring down at Yuki who still had yet to climb back to his feet. They looked so sinister, as if they enjoyed the fact that Yuki had absolutely no hope of beating them. "G... get up Sohma-san," she choked. "You have to get up..." We have to get out of here! Tohru thought frantically.

"Are you guys done yet?" Yuki asked, bored as he finally stood, brushing the dust from his pants. Tohru gaped at him in surprise at the tone of his voice. How could he sound so calm? He was being jumped by three men. And not just any men either. But three large, and particularly strong looking men as well.

Before she could even bat an eye, Yuki lifted an elbow, jamming it directly into the man beside him's gut, while at the same time, diving down and kicking the man before him's feet out from beneath him. The bearded man howled as he fell to the floor and Yuki landed a solid punch to the original offender's face. Bill flew back, his hand going to his nose as blood spurted from it. The bearded man tried to climb back up and Yuki kneed him in the face, a sickening crack sounding as the guy cried out in protest. Then Yuki kicked the third man in the chest, throwing him backwards into a row of chairs. The man flipped over the chairs, his head cracking against the row in front of them.

"What the hell!" Bill shouted in complete and utter astonishment when he saw his two fallen friends. He growled in rage, jumping forward toward Yuki. Rolling his eyes, Yuki sidestepped him easily, landing a kick to the side of the man's head.

Tohru watched in shock, or horror, she wasn't sure which, unable to speak. "S... stop, Sohma-san," she finally managed to choke weakly. He didn't seem to hear her as he lifted his fist to punch the man on the ground once more. "Stop," she cried, louder this time. Yuki froze, turning to look at her. His hand, which had been tightly gripping the man's shirt, slowly let go, and the man crumpled to the ground. His eyes swept around the room, as if realizing for the first time what he had done.

"We should go," Yuki said quietly, wiping at a spot of blood on his cheek with his hand. Tohru couldn't believe what had just happened. She had had absolutely no idea he was so strong. Yuki pushed the door open and Tohru followed, her mind whirling in her head. What on earth had just happened?

chapter 19- day 4- engagement ring

Rubbing his sore fist, Yuki led Tohru out of the movie theater, glancing back at several securities guards as they raced past them towards the direction they had just come from. Funny how they didn't seem to suspect him at all, despite the fact that he had just left the room they were all running to. The was he was dressed perhaps? What was it about him that could make them all run by him without a second glance. Ah well, he supposed he shouldn't complain. It wasn't as if he wanted to be arrested or anything like that.

He looked down at his knuckles, which were caked with blood from where his skin had come in contact with one of the men's front teeth. All things considered though, he had come out of that little exercise session pretty darn unscathed. Tohru seemed a bit disturbed though. He hadn't realized how involved he had been in the fight until he had heard her shouting for him to stop. He wondered if she thought he was strange now.

Probably from the time he was about hmm, maybe twelve or so, him and a few of the other members of the zodiac had been taught karate and whatnot by Kazuma, another Sohma employed by the Sohma Corporation. He wasn't sure exactly why they had all been trained by him, maybe it had just been for fun... that stupid cat sure seemed to like it a lot... or maybe it had simply been a way to teach them discipline and strength at a young age, to help them when they too received positions at the family company. And despite Kyo being sentenced to a life locked away, Kazuma, the cat's adopted father, had taught him and raised him like his own, teaching Kyo all he knew about martial arts and growing up.

Narrowing his eyes, Yuki couldn't help but feel a bit jealous at the thought of Kyo's relationship with Kazuma. It must have been nice having someone care about him, someone who could raise him as if he were his own child. Unlike Kyo, Yuki had been sold to Akito, to live as a plaything of the head of the family. His parents had abandoned him for the sake of wealth and a higher status in society. Since then, Yuki had been unable to help but view people in the same way. People were nothing more than commodities with monetary value, existing for the purpose of helping him succeed in life. If it meant crushing the owner of a small business to help their own grow, then so be it... If it meant stepping on those lower than him to gain power and wealth, than so be it as well... If it meant using a woman, and marrying her to further his position then...

"Sohma-san," Tohru said finally, breaking into his thoughts. "Are you all right? Your hand is bleeding..." She looked away uncertainly as they exited the building, and a gust of wind brushed past them. "I'm sorry I made that man angry. It was my fault he wanted to fight you in the first place... I... I had no idea you were so strong though. How did you learn how to fight like that?"

"A distant cousin of mine," Yuki murmured, "Kazuma Sohma taught me martial arts, along with Kyo... and Haru... and Kagura... Just people in my family... It wasn't really a big deal..." _I wanted to be strong. I wanted to make so that no one ever took advantage of me again... I promised I would never allow myself to be close to anyone, to care deeply about anyone at all, so that way, they wouldn't be able to hurt me. If I was alone, no one could reject me, or abandon me ever again._

_"_Uh-oh," Uo commented, glancing around the theater. "I totally lost sight of those two. How the hell are we gonna follow them now?"

"Did they leave when we weren't looking? Hana asked, her voice perplexed, then mentioning something or another about some unwelcome men rushing in as well, but to tell you the truth, Kyo wasn't really listening. His mind was still on the fight that had occurred only minutes earlier.

Sure, seeing Yuki knock the snot out of three huge guys had been pretty entertaining, but it had been extremely frustrating and infuriating at the same time. For one thing, seeing those men had kind of reminded of himself, and how Kyo always looked like he should be the one who was going to win, and yet somehow... didn't. Who would've guessed that such a puny, feminine looking guy like Yuki could be so freaking strong anyway?

Flashbacks of when they were younger and Yuki had surpassed him in their martial arts training came flooding back to him, making Kyo's annoyance grow. And to top it off, Yuki hadn't started training with him and Haru until _way_ afterwards. How the hell had he gotten so much better than them? It didn't make any sense.

Out of nowhere, Uo planted a small kiss on Kyo's cheek. "See ya Orange Top," she whispered in his ear. "Gotta run." And then she was off, rushing away with her friend.

Where the hell had that come from anyway? Swear, women were just so weird. One minute she's insulting him and the next, giving him pecks on the cheek. But the strangest thing of all was that it didn't instigate any deeper emotions in him either. He had been under the impression that he was beginning to develop feelings for Arisa... for whatever odd reason, but if so... shouldn't that little kiss have made him feel something more? But hey, he had more important things to worry about right now. Like where the hell did this security guard pop up from? The guy was glaring at him like he had just killed somebody or something. "What the hell do you want?" Kyo finally managed to sputter out.

"Hiding back here after starting a fight in a public place," the guard growled. "You're coming with me."

"Hey, hold on a minute," Kyo retorted incredulously. "You don't think I was the one fighting, do you? I mean, I didn't do anything!"

"Hah, yeah right," the security guard laughed, shaking his head as he grabbed Kyo by the wrist. He glanced behind him and made a motion with his hand. Several other men came trotting up around them, and grabbed hold of Kyo's other arm as the cat began to struggle.

"I'm serious!" Kyo shouted angrily as he tried to pull away. "It wasn't me! It was that damned rat! Yuki!"

"Right..." one man said slowly. "A rat did it. Okay... sir... we're just going to take you to a place where we can ask you a few questions."

"But I didn't do anything!"

"Uh-huh, we believe you," the guard said sarcastically. "The only person left in this empty theater, hiding behind a bunch of chairs. Yeah, we're sure you had nothing to do with this."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kyo nodded. It was about time they started to see things his way. "Yeah, thanks, now let go."

"Bring him this way," one of the guards instructed, no longer paying attention to Kyo at all. "We'll take him down to the office and see what they have to say. Someone hurry and get those other men to a hospital or something. They look pretty bad."

It looked as though her Yuki Sohma was just full of surprises tonight, Tohru thought, shaking her head. To think, he knew martial arts of all things. And, considering the fact that she was a pacifist, she didn't want to admit just how totally awesome he had looked fighting them. Like... Like a... a warrior! Yeah, that's it. Or... a secret agent! Or a ninja even! Okay, maybe that was too much..

But anyway, she still felt kind of unnerved by the fact that he had taken the fight so far. She had this feeling that if she hadn't have been there, he would have literally killed all three of those men without a second thought. Which goes without saying, would have been really, really bad. It had been as if he were taking out all of his anger... all of his doubts and uncertainties, all out on them at that very moment.

"Are you mad?" Yuki asked finally, "about earlier?"

Tohru turned to look at him in surprise as they walked, crossing the street to the cafe she had mentioned earlier. "Of course not," Tohru answered quickly. "After all, they attacked you first. You were just defending yourself." A bit brutally, of course, but still self defense nonetheless and Tohru couldn't even imagine holding that against him.

The little coffee shop was coming into view, a large glass affair, brightly lit so that you could see everything going on inside, and topped off with a glowing sign hanging at the top of the building. Yuki pulled the door open and they went inside, the smell of fresh brewed coffee hanging heavily in the air. Mmm, she could almost taste it already. Going up to the counter, she ordered herself a extra large cinnamon mocha cappachino, and turned to Yuki, waiting for him to order as well.

Yuki looked at the long list of different flavors on the menu hanging on the wall and made a face. "Just a large, regular coffee," he said finally. "Nothing special." He pulled out his wallet to pay and Tohru stopped him, setting her little brown purse on the counter beside the register.

"Did you forget already?" she teased playfully. "I told you I'd get it this time."

"That's really unnecessary," Yuki said, putting a hand up.

"Don't worry about it,"Tohru reassured. "Its no problem. I mean, six dollars will hardly put me out of house and home." Opening her own wallet she pulled out the money and placed it into the cashier's hand. A man beside the register handed them two tall paper cups with the cafe's logo plastered all around it and Tohru thanked him, taking the coffees and giving Yuki his. "Where do you want to sit?" she asked. The place was relatively empty, with little tables and couches set up around the room in a cozy manner.

"How about over there," Yuki offered, gestering toward a small sofa in the corner. Tohru nodded and the two made their way over to the couch, taking a seat and making themselves comfortable. It felt so good just being near him like this. Every moment with him seemed precious somehow. She hoped it would never end. Without even realizing that she was doing it, her eyes were gazing up at him, unable to tear away from his face. "Is something wrong?" Yuki asked finally, his cheeks tinted red.

Tohru shook her head quickly. She hadn't meant to stare at him like that. "I'm sorry," she laughed, feeling her own cheeks heat up as well. He was simply so fascinating. Taking a quick sip of her coffee, she leaned back comfortably on the cushions of the sofa. What a fascinating person... Yuki Sohma.

Kagura opened her eyes, blinking several times before looking outside at the passing scenery. She must have fallen asleep. What time was it? She looked at her watch, finding it was already terribly late. Too late. Leaning against the window of the taxi, she sighed quietly to herself. She must have been driving around in this thing for at least four hours by now, she thought groggily. But... she didn't want to go home. If she went home, she'd find herself alone, laying in bed, staring at the ceiling and wishing Kyo would come home... No one was waiting for her at her apartment... There was no reason to go back there.

"Uh, lady," the driver said finally, glancing back at her through the rearview mirror. "I hate to spoil this fun little adventure we've been having, driving around the city over and over and over again, but, when are you gonna get out?"

"Not just yet," Kagura mumbled, still not quite awake yet.. "I just want to stay like this a little longer."

The driver glanced down at the price meter on the dashboard and raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?" he asked uncertainly. "You already owe me about $285." Kagura's eyes opened wide in shock and she flung her body straight up into sitting position. She had completely forgotten about that. This was not good. Flipping her purse open, she fished out the twenty she had gotten from Yuki earlier and made a face. She had been so sure she had more than this with her. Fumbling around for her wallet, she finally found it and flipped it open, revealing another two twenties, a five, and several singles... so in other words, she couldn't even pay for half of her cab fare...

"Ah, do you accept credit card?" she asked meekly.

"No," came a flat response.

"Well then, it would appear I... I don't seem to have enough right now," Kagura stammered, chuckling nervously. "But... if you take me to my apartment now... I could run inside and try to get the rest to you...and..."

_One minute later_

Kagura watched as the cab went speeding away, wheels screeching as it turned the corner. Well, so much for that. She supposed it was her own fault though. Driving around the city in a cab for several hours... Why had she thought that would be a good idea? Perhaps the thought of spending another night alone in her apartment had simply scared all the common sense out of her. Glancing around, she shivered as a sharp breeze blew by, rustling a few dried leaves by her feet along the sidewalk. Where was she anyway? The driver hadn't exactly been the friendliest person in the world, but you'd think he could have had the courtesy not to drop her off at some random location with no way home.

Squinting, Kagura tried to focus on the street signs, but realized she didn't recognize any of the names at all. She crossed her arms in front of her and rubbed them over her skin, trying to keep warm. And it was just her luck too that the temperature would happen to drop so suddenly. If she had known it would be this cold tonight, she would have brought a sweater or a coat.. Looking ahead of her, she began to walk down the dark, unfamiliar streets, praying for some kind of miracle. Why weren't there any cars? It wasn't that late, was it?

Panic was slowly beginning to take hold of her as she took in the quiet area. Why wasn't there anyone here? Where was everyone! She passed by a small shop with a light on and ran toward it, knocking loudly on the door. "Excuse me," she called loudly. "Is anyone there?" She frowned as no one came to the door, wondering what she should do. The store was closed but... the light was on... so didn't that mean someone was there? All she wanted to do was ask directions! Was that so much!

Biting her lip, Kagura left the shop behind her. All the other buildings were silent, and still as death, and she had no doubt that they were empty as well. No use trying any of them. Why couldn't she at least find a gas station? What kind of place was this anyway? It was taking all the strength that she could muster to keep herself calm. Being lost in a place like this at night had a way of taking its toll on you.

Kagura thought she heard quiet footsteps behind her and furrowed her brows, whipping her head to look behind her. No one. Turning back around she began walking again, quickening her pace. This time, the footsteps behind her were louder, and she heard whispering. Not even letting herself look this time, Kagura broke into a run, down the narrow, dark streets, running blindly forward and allowing everything around her to become a blur. The footsteps sounded behind her, keeping time with her own, and matching her quickened pace. She felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder and let out a scream as she was yanked back.

She wasn't sure how it had happened, but suddenly there were two men, pulling her backwards until they were hidden behind a building. It was happening so fast that for a moment, she wanted to believe that it wasn't real, that she was just having some sort of nightmare. Maybe she was still in that taxi. All she had to do was wake up. However, the feel of the brick wall against the back of her head told her it was no dream. Pain seared through her skull and she groaned, trying to keep herself from blacking out. She felt her purse as it was ripped from her shoulder and saw the two men as they dumped the contents on the ground, searching through them.

"Nothing," one of the men muttered in annoyance, pushing his black hair out of his face. "No wait, I found some credit cards."

Kagura tried to call out for help, and pulled herself to her feet, only to be knocked back down again. "Let go of me," she screamed, as the other man shoved her against the wall again, the sleeve of her shirt tearing. She tried to kick him but he got to her first, sending a fist deeply into her gut. Kagura's eyes widened and her breath stopped for a moment, before she fell forward, coughing and gagging blood onto the ground, becoming aware of the man's piercing blue eyes as they glared down at her.

"What's this," the man asked in interest, grabbing her hand and peering down at it. "Hey, check this out." The black haired man dropped the purse and joined his friend, kneeling down beside him. "Nice, right?"

"Phew, that ring would get us some real cash down at pop's..." he trailed off, and took hold of Kagura's finger, trying to pull the ring off.

"Let go of it," Kagura muttered dangerously from the ground. Tearing her hand away, her head shot up and she glared up at them angrily, her eyes burning. "Get the hell away from my engagement ring!" she shrieked.

"Bitch!" the dark haired man yelled as he kicked her across the face. Kagura flew back, her head cracking against the ground, but she drew her hand in, pressing it against her chest and covering it protectively with her other hand. Lifting her elbow suddenly, she struck the man with the cold, blue eyes in the chin, and he stumbled back in surprise.

"She hit me," he said incredulously. "What the hell." Kagura climbed unsteadily to her feet, and turned to run away, only to have the man with the light colored eyes grasp her hair and pull her back. "Where do you think you're going," he hissed angrily. "Just give us the ring."

"No!" Kagura cried loudly, her eyes welling with tears. "I can't give it to you... I'm going to marry Kyo-kun... It doesn't matter what he says. He gave me this ring because he loves me... I... I know we're going to get married someday!" Gripping her hand tightly to her chest, Kagura became aware of more blows to her body, her hair being pulled, sharp pains in her side, on her arms and legs, and blood trickling down her face. But it was beginning to get fuzzy, and darkness was overwhelming her. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out, but one thing was certain, no matter what, she wasn't going to let them have this ring.

"What the hell!"

Kagura thought she heard one of the men's voices in the distance, but that could have easily been her imagination.

"Did she just... I think she's..."

"Oh my god!"

"C'mon, let's get out of here."

And all of a sudden, it didn't really hurt anymore. Through squinted eyes, Kagura watched the men run off, and glanced down at her body. A pile of clothes lay beside her and her skin... had taken on a bit of a furry quality. So...it looked as though she had transformed...

Chapter 20- day 4- the meaning of trust

Tohru stole a glance at Yuki, the streetlights shining down on them and casting a light glow on his face. The two of them had decided to walk home together after the cafe. It wasn't too far of a walk, and it was a nice night. To her disappointment, the conversation had remained rather light, rather shallow the entire time. She had been hoping to gain a little more insight into his life, and possibly learn a bit more about what was going on in that enigmatic little mind of his.

And, at the same time, she had wanted to kiss him.

She felt like a perverted old man. The entire night, she had been staring at him mouth, watching him talk, and thinking, _I want to kiss you. _Nothing fancy. They didn't have to slobber all over each other in the process or anything. Just a nice, sweet kiss. That was all she wanted. And the closer he was to her, the more she had felt the urge to just grab that adorable, delicate face of his and press her lips against his.

As mentioned before, she felt like a complete weirdo for feeling this way.

She wasn't used to it. She had been on several dates before with other guys over the years, but never anything serious. It was as if she was incapable of feeling any real attachment to them. No love at all. Instead, she would just end up beaming to them at the end of the night, "you're such a _nice_ guy! I hope we can always be _friends_!" And, lo and behold, their faces would drop, and they would slink away and never call her again. Great.

But this time was different. So completely different she wasn't sure she could cope. She was really falling in love with him. She was completely falling in love with Yuki Sohma and it was driving her mad.

"...And so, I dropped off the papers at the office and our clients ended up forgiving us for the little mishap..." Yuki trailed off from the conversation he had apparently been having with himself. "Ah, are you listening?" he asked, giving her a quick, confused look.

She turned to face him instantly, her cheeks heating up. "Of course!" she replied. She hadn't. "You dropped off the papers... was it? Fascinating."

"Yes, I suppose," Yuki agreed.

They continued to walk down the narrowed streets, the windows of the large buildings reflecting their images like mirrors. Tohru bit her lip. Chewed and gnawed on it. She stopped walking, tapped her foot nervously. Come to think of it, she did that a lot actually. Yuki stopped too, probably wondering what she was doing. Something was still bugging her. Had been nagging her at the back of her mind all night.

Uo-chan.

What Uo-chan had told her. A lie. A mistake. It had to be, right?

She tapped her foot a little faster. She stared at the floor, her brows furrowed. Should she ask? She trusted him, didn't she? She loved him, therefore trusted him.

No, that was a lie too. An old wives tale made up to make lovers feel guilty for having suspicions about their boyfriend. The more she loved him, the more doubt she felt. That was the real truth of the heart. The more she loved him, the more afraid she felt that any possible horrible thing that could go wrong in their relationship, would go wrong. Relationship? Haha, what relationship! They were friends! Good friends! His feelings were important too, and she had no idea what he felt.

"Honda-san?"

_Yes, I'll trust him. I want to. And yet, is it my right? Here I am, acting the part of the suspicious lover. A joke! How funny! _She felt ridiculous. She wasn't even his girlfriend. And yet, she felt she had the right to doubt him?  
_Its because I love him._

_I want to trust him. _

Yes, that was why. But she knew that already. And Uo-chan, what she had said was still weighing so heavily on her mind. Hey. She'd just ask him! Simple as that! She_ did _trust him! Of course! Whatever his reply would be the truth. She should have thought of this sooner! She loved him! Therefore, trusted him! Right? Great! Awesome. Maybe that old wives tale could be right after all. No matter his response, it would be the truth. She wanted to believe that.

"Sohma-san," Tohru began finally, forcing an awkward grin. "Ah, it's just that... There's something I've been meaning to ask you. Its a bit crazy, really. Totally, completely the strangest thing, so you'll have to forgive me. My friend, Uo-chan, you met her before, very pretty with long blond hair... well anyway, she said the funniest thing earlier, and... I simply thought it would be better to just say it out loud, rather than... not say anything... Ah, that is to say, she made this odd assumption (perhaps saw the same movie we did?) that you might have... approached... me with the intention of making me your... spouse... and all so that you could get a promotion at work." Tohru began to laugh. Saying it out loud just made it seem all the funnier. All the more insane and far out and completely unlikely.

Yuki wasn't laughing.

He looked terrified actually.

The poor thing. Being accused of something so ludicrous. He must feel betrayed even. Maybe he was mad at her now.

But then, all of a sudden, Yuki broke into a huge smile, and made a big show of chuckling loudly to himself. "Of... Of course not!" he exclaimed. "What... what on earth could have given your friend such a ... such a crazy idea!"

It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders with a crane and chucked at the nearest building. Goodbye stress! What a huge relief! She didn't think she had ever felt so happy in her entire life. Her entire body felt lighter even. She felt wonderful. Everything was just... great! "Yes! It was a silly idea," Tohru agreed cheerfully.

_I trust you, Yuki, _she thought happily. _I love you. _

Without even realizing what she was doing, she had lifted her head up, taken his face into her hands, and was kissing him lightly on the lips.

_Amazing, how time flies. Has it really already been six years? Six entire years since that day! So much has happened since then. It's almost incomprehensible how things can change in that amount of time too. One minute you're laying in bed with the man you love, and the next, in some dark alley waiting to die._

_Maybe I'm just being melodramatic._

_I suppose I've always had a tendency for such things._

_Being melodramatic that is._

_At least, that's what my mother always used to say..._

_I think Kyo may have thought so too. One of the many qualities about myself that he wasn't too fond of... Ah well. Its gotten so dark and hazy, that its a little hard to tell what's what anymore. _

_And random thoughts that haven't even crossed my mind for ages are just popping up out of nowhere. Come to think of it, doesn't Shigure still owe me about a hundred bucks right now? Ha! And he thought I had forgotten! Bastard! I could have used that to pay my cab bill! Or even better yet, my rent. And poor Kisa. I never got to apologize for not being able to make it to her birthday party. Yuki! This is all your fault, you should have given me more than twenty dollars for that cab. Ritsu, what the hell did you do to my car that time I let you borrow it anyway? I swear, the entire left side was ripped off when you gave it back to me the next day. And Rin! When are you going to give me back that awesome blue sweater I lent you! You probably have it crumpled up in the back of your closet somewhere growing mold on it or something. Or worse, maybe you even machine washed it! Dry Clean only, damn it!_

_Ah, but I digress. Can you believe it? Six whole years already!_

_That was when they were going to lock him up. Kyo-kun, I mean. Right after graduation, Akito had ordered him to be locked away. Not a real nice thing to do in my humble opinion. And Kyo-kun, I was so angry at him for accepting that. Where was the strong, stubborn man I loved? Why was he going to let them just throw away his life like that. I didn't understand at all._

_I remember all the tears I had cried the night they locked him away. Kyo-kun had this serene look on face, ready to do whatever the hell they told him to. I was so pissed off at him for that. But I suppose, he had known it was going to happen for a long time by then. One must grow tired of being angry and resentful, knowing about your own doomed fate. After awhile, I suppose he just figured there was no other way, so no reason to fight it. Damn him. _

_I recall threatening to kill myself, and Akito laughing it off in disbelief. I hate that. I can't stand it when people don't take me seriously. I wanted to smack him, to beat the crap out of him, and make him realize what a complete and total asshole he was being. But alas, things don't always go as planned. Akito ended up throwing this damned vase at me or something. I don't even know anymore, but lets just say that it hurt... a lot. Hit me right in the face, and broke my nose, which, like I'm sure I've already said, hurt really bad. _

_Hatori took me away after that, clutching my bleeding nose and jaw, blood running down the torn skin where the vase had shattered and sliced my cheek. I still have a scar from that time too. You have no idea how much make-up you have to use to cover up something like that._

_Truthfully, all complaining about getting a vase bashed into your head aside, I was really scared. A life without Kyo-kun... was no life at all. I didn't want to be in a world where I could never see him, and never be with him again. I didn't want to exist in such a place. _

_And so, that night, I did the only thing that seemed logical to me at the time. I tried to kill myself. Haha, and Akito thought I was bluffing! I told him to take me more seriously, didn't I? But, lets also just say that death isn't the glorious, romantic thing it seems like at first. Its not a beautiful ending to a tragic love story. Death is exactly what it is. Death. And it doesn't try to pretend to be anything else. And there's also no such thing as a simple, painless way to commit suicide either. I mean, come on. You're young, you're healthy, so how the hell is anything you do to kill yourself going to be all nice and pretty?_

_So, you'd probably think taking an entire bottle of aspirin would be a good way to go. No blood, no mess, seems easy. Not quite. First, there's the horrible burning sensation in your gut. Then you start gagging, as your body begs you to throw up whatever poison you just forced down its throat. Coughing and gagging, and your heart rate speeding up till it feels as though it may break out of your chest, pounding harder and harder, and then stopping all together. Your lungs refusing to fill with air, gasping and choking. Darkness overwhelming you. And all you can think is, oh my god, what have I done. I don't want to die... I don't want to leave him all alone._

_When I woke up again, Kyo-kun was sleeping beside me in a chair. I figured I was dreaming, or already dead, or both. But then, he opened his eyes and looked at me, and I knew it was real. Especially when he shouted out something along the lines of "you dumb bitch, what the hell were you trying to do!" Yup, Kyo-kun was really here with me. I couldn't stop myself from crying then. I said his name over and over again as I wrapped my arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder. _

_Apparently, Akito considered me insane, and had grudgingly let Kyo free from his cage. But of course, not without some rules. Something along the lines of, you can do whatever the hell you want but you're no longer a member of our family. You're a monster, yada yada yada, and you are not permitted to work for the Sohma Corporation or have any contact with any members of the Sohma family. Me being the exception of course, apparently, to keep me from doing any other insane things that would make our prestigious family look bad. I was like a spoiled child, doing whatever possible to get what I wanted, but I didn't care. I was just happy for Kyo-kun._

_Unfortunately, Kyo didn't quite feel the same. I guess loving him with all my heart just wasn't enough for him. It hurt him to be rejected like that. He wanted more than anything to be a part of the family and now he was even more despised and segregated from the rest of us than before. My love wasn't a consolation for him, it was more of a price he had to pay for freedom. And he would never stop envying Yuki. He wanted to be just like him, respected and adored by others. I wasn't able to do anything for him. I could love him all I wanted but I could never give him what he really desired. _

_Miine came to see me once while I was recovering. She was my best friend for a long time. She had come bounding in, her hair in the usual pigtails, and her cute little glasses slipping down her nose. First she had smacked me over the head for trying to commit suicide, then she had hugged me so tightly I thought she'd break my ribs. I loved her so much._

_She was Ayame's secretary, and she mentioned how she was starting to get a little tired of waiting for him. She wanted him to propose to her, to tell her he loved her, or something! But instead, she found herself waiting for nothing. It would seem as though he would never ask her to marry him. She looked so sad at that time, I almost forgot that I was the one with a giant bandage wrapped around my face._

_I remember the day she left him too. It was only a couple years ago. She came to see me right before she went away, after standing by Ayame for seven whole years all together, as both his secretary and lover, she finally decided to leave him for good. She still wore that cheerful smile she always had on, but it was a little different this time. I could tell she was trying so hard not to cry._

_"I just got tired of waiting." she had said simply. And then she was gone. I haven't seen her since._

_Me too. I was tired of waiting for someone that I knew would never return my love. I was tired of having my feelings thrown back at me, and being held in contempt for them. I loved Kyo-kun, but he obviously didn't love me. You can only go on for so long like that. And then you just get a little sad. I was tired of waiting for something that would never happen. _

_That's why I was so surprised when Kyo suddenly proposed to me. It didn't feel real, like maybe I was dreaming. I can't describe how I felt that day in mere words. He took me to a cliff overlooking a beautiful ocean. I was awestruck. I don't think I have ever been so happy in my entire life. _

_However, apparently, Kyo-kun seemed to think that proposing marriage was just as good as actually getting married. That must be why we never quite got to that final step yet. Instead, Kyo-kun had remained as my "fiancé," my intended husband, for over two years now. Funny isn't it. In the end, we women are the ones that have to wait. Never the men. If a man wants something from us, we happily agree, and that's that. If a woman wants something, she must patiently sit back until the man decides whether he wants it or not as well. If a woman falls in love with a man and tries to pursue him, she looks pathetic, and desperate. But a man can try to win the love of any woman he desires and that is considered the correct course of action. Kind of humorous if you think about it. Maybe we really are the weaker gender._

_And, the thing that really gets to me now, the thing that has been plaguing me in the back of my head for as long as I can remember is something Kyo said to me a few months back. We had always had our fights. What couple doesn't? But this one time, Kyo said something to me that hurt so bad. He had said he hated me, couldn't stand me and never could. Well, that wasn't the thing that got to me. He's actually said that to me quite a few times before. But anyway, of course, I retorted back, asking why he was even with me then if he didn't love me. Bad idea. Ignorance is bliss, you know? I still regret having ever asked that question. Maybe if I hadn't, I could have saved myself a lot of grief._

_Basically, he told me that the only reason he was with me was because he felt he owed me... you know... for keeping him from being locked up. I almost laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. _

_But instead, I cried. _

_He owed me? Some kind of warped sense of obligation? And that was the only reason why we were together? _

_WHAT THE HELL KIND OF REASON WAS THAT! _

_And so, I did the only thing that seemed sensible to me at the time, the thing that I'm sure all well meaning couples must do. I decided to pretend I never heard him say that. Because maybe, just maybe, it wasn't true. Just something he had made up in a fit of rage. Just spouting off random things to piss people off. Kyo has a tendency to do that, you know. That had to be it. _

_Or maybe, even if it was true, perhaps he could grow to love me for real one day. All I had to do was keep on loving him as I always had. Maybe then I'd finally start to mean something to him. It could happen couldn't it? Living together, sleeping together, eventually, he'd have to fall in love with me one day, right? And all I had to do was pretend I didn't know anything. Pretend he wasn't forcing himself to be with me out of obligation. That's all..._

_Tell me, was I wrong to hope like this?_

_How could I have known he would leave me for someone else. How could I have known things would turn out the way they did. Like I'm sure I said before... life does crazy things to you when you least suspect. One minute you're cooking dinner for a certain hot-headed cat, and the next... well, you know the rest. _

_But hey, the good news is, it doesn't really hurt anymore. Kind of like when I tried to off myself all those years ago. It hurts at first, but then, your body just kind of gets cold and numb... and you realize it doesn't really matter anymore. I mean its all about to come to an end anyway regardless. Or hey, even better yet, maybe I'm already dead. Good riddance. I starting to get a little tired of life again anyway._

chapter 21- day 5- machi

It was calm, beautiful mornings like this that could help you forget everything. Even when everything in the world did just seem wrong at times. Perhaps she was a few minutes late for work already as well, but none of that seemed to matter right now. This was one of those rare moments that really made Machi feel as if life wasn't quite as bad as she always thought it to be. Besides, considering the fact that she was sitting on a bench right in front of the Sohma Corporation meant that she was practically at work anyway, so she didn't see any particular reason to rush.

Lifting a small Styrofoam cup to her lips, Machi slowly sipped up the steaming coffee. Even the breeze seemed to be doing just the right thing, a faint whisper through her hair and clothes. Closing her eyes, Machi tilted her head up toward the bright sun, letting the rays warm her face. Bliss. Total and complete bliss.

Something cold splashed her on the cheek, and Machi furrowed her brows as she opened her eyes. The once bright blue sky had been replaced with dark, heavy clouds that hung over her head threateningly. Sighing, Machi brushed off her black skirt as she stood up, grabbing hold of her briefcase just as the rain began to really pour down on her. So much for that moment of surreal escapism. Back to the real world now. Where nice sunny mornings change into thunderstorms out of nowhere. So it seemed she had been right all along after all. Life sucked.

Dragging herself inside the building, Machi let out a groan as she squeezed a handful of her long, dark hair and water gushed out, making a puddle on the floor. She was completely soaked now. What a day this was turning out to be. Aware of the trail of water she was making as she headed toward the elevator, she wondered if it would be wise to stop in a restroom before heading to the fourth floor. But what difference did it make either way? It wasn't as if anyone would notice her anyway.

Machi stepped into the small metal space, pressing the button for the fourth floor and watching as the doors slid shut in front of her. She didn't know why but a bad feeling had been nagging at her in the back of the head ever since she had woken up this morning, which was one of the reasons she had been reluctant to come to work today. Was it because she had ran into that Yuki Sohma character at the movie theater yesterday? She couldn't quite explain why seeing him had made her so flustered to begin with. No... it wasn't seeing him that had made her feel that way... It was seeing him with that girl that had made her completely lose her mind for a moment. It didn't make any sense.

The elevator made a small sound as it stopped on her floor, and the door opened before her. To her surprise, Hatsuharu Sohma was waiting on the other side. Furrowing her brows in confusion, she tried to step around him but he stood firm, refusing to let her pass. What in the world had gotten into him?

"I've been waiting for you?" Haru said softly, his eyes sweeping over her with a nod. "You're late, you know."

"E...excuse me," Machi stammered, her face heating up as she edged her way out of the elevator. "Are you talking to me?"

"But of course. Who else would I be talking to?"

Well, he had a point right there. She was the only person standing there at the moment, but still... she had no clue what he could possibly want. And why was he looking at her like that? It was almost creepy.

"I'd like to discuss something alone with you in my office," Haru said briskly, turning around. He began to walk away, the coat of his flashy, gray work suit swaying behind him. He paused as he realized she wasn't following him and looked back at her over his shoulder. "I meant now."

Nodding slowly, Machi began to walk after him, feeling her nervousness grow. He was her superior. If he had to talk to her about something important, maybe it was about her performance at work. Hadn't she always done her job? Was he going to fire her for some reason? Suddenly, Machi felt very self conscious as she glanced down at her damp clothes, and she made a quick attempt to run a hand through her wet, tangled hair.

Haru entered the office and sat down at his desk before motioning for her to come in as well. "Go ahead, have a seat," he said with a wave of his hand. Waiting for Machi to sit before beginning, he leaned forward in his chair, his eyes sweeping over her once again. "You did attend Yuki Sohma's birthday party the other day, didn't you?" he asked finally. "The entire company was invited."

"I didn't feel the need to," Machi replied flatly, matching his scrutinizing stare.

"Well... regardless," Haru said shaking his head, "I'm sure you've at least heard of the deal Ayame Sohma made with Yuki on his birthday. If he finds a wife by the end of this week he'll receive one of the highest of promotions."

"Gossip interests me very little. I was unaware of such a deal," Machi answered exasperated. What did this have to do with anything? Was he going to fire her or not. "I'd like to know what you're getting at."

Haru looked at her for a moment before a small smile came to his face. "Fiesty one, aren't you," he commented. "I like that. I think you'd be perfect for him."

"Perfect... for him?" Machi asked in confusion. She could feel her face growing warmer by the minute. Did he mean... Yuki?

"As his cousin," Haru continued, "I only want what's best for him... Yuki... he needs someone right now. I think you might be able to help him."

"I... I don't understand what you mean," Machi stammered, climbing to her feet and grabbing the handle of her briefcase. This was ridiculous. What about her feelings? Didn't it matter how she felt about any of this? Was he going to just demand her to fall in love with him and expect it to happen?

"I'm asking you to be the one that he marries," Haru finished bluntly, his eyes never leaving her own. "Surely you understand now?"

"Forget it," Machi mumbled, staring down at her feet. "You can't just command me to marry someone. Did you think I was one of those women that worship the ground he walks on? I'm nothing like them. I know he's not as wonderful as everyone thinks... he's lonely... and always hurting inside... completely different from the ideal man everyone has made him out to be. I won't do it. I won't fall for him like all the others have..."

_Even if I am always thinking about him._

It made her jealous, the way the other women would flirt with him. The way they would hang on his every word, and how he'd smile at them. She had always wanted him to smile like that at her too. Even if it was a fake smile. When she thought about it, perhaps she had never seen him really smile before in her entire life. And maybe that was why she had been so unnerved when she had seen him at the theater with that girl. It was because he had looked so happy... He was supposed to sad... He was supposed to be alone... He was supposed to be just like her. That was why Machi had liked him so much. She had thought they were the same.

And now, this damned Hatsuharu Sohma was asking her something like this? Was he completely out of his mind? How on Earth was she supposed to make him fall in love with her anyway? Her own feelings aside, which, may she point out once more, she had absolutely none for Yuki Sohma, her own feelings aside... Yuki had absolutely no feelings for her either. She was quite certain he barely even knew her name. They had spoken possibly a total of three times, once at work, when she had handed him some folders, once when he had mistaken her for someone else on the street, and the time at the theater when she had run out like a complete loser.

There definitely never was, and never would be anything between the two of them.

"You still don't seem to understand what I'm saying," Haru said calmly, putting a hand to his forehead and sighing. "I'm not really asking you to do this. Its more of an assignment I'm giving you, as your boss. You can either take the assignment, or resign your position to someone more suited for the job. Its completely up to you."

"Then I quit," Machi muttered indignantly, turning around and stalking away. The nerve of him. Did he truly think that she was going to just let him bribe her into marrying Yuki? If she had known it would be like this, she never would have let Kisa talk her into working here in the first place.

Keeping her eyes glued to the floor, Machi hurried away, feeling her eyes well up with tears as she hugged her briefcase to her chest. She supposed she'd have to look for a new job now. Suddenly, she felt a hard bump on her shoulder and she stumbled back, her briefcase flying onto the floor and smashing open, papers flying in every direction. Narrowing her eyes angrily, she looked up to see who had knocked into her and was shocked to see Yuki standing before her.

"I'm really sorry," Yuki said in surprise as he looked down at her. Bending down, he began to gather the fallen papers, stacking them together in his hands. Laughing lightly to himself, he glanced over at her and smiled apologetically. "I wasn't looking where I was going," he explained. "I'm sorry about that."

Not sure how to respond, Machi just nodded and bent down as well, pulling the briefcase toward her and filling it with the fallen items. "It... Its okay," she said finally, her voice low. He was happy again... When did this begin? When did he begin to smile like this? Was it because of that woman? Was his sudden change in behavior all because of that woman he was with?

"Is something the matter?" he asked finally, noticing the look on her face. He gave her another quick smile as he added. "We keep running into each other, don't we? Literally this time..." He realized she didn't seem to find that quite as humorous as he did and cleared his throat before continuing. "I was beginning to feel guilty when you went running out of the theater like that last night. I was afraid I had said something to offend you..."

Too offend me? No... that wasn't it at all. Didn't he even realize what he did to her? Didn't he realize that if he kept doing this... kept being kind to her... kept taking notice of her... that she really might begin to develop feelings for him? That was why... that was why this had to stop... Right now.

_Even though you barely know my name... I'm always thinking of you. Always..._

Standing up abruptly, Machi closed the briefcase and walked away without another word, leaving behind a stunned Yuki, still kneeled on the floor behind her.

Rin took a bite of her bagel as she entered Haru's office and seated herself on his desk. Crossing her legs in front of her, she glanced back at him. "So?"

"So... what?"

"So... How'd it go? Did you get to play matchmaker?"

Sighing, Haru gave her gentle poke on the back before standing up and wrapping his arms around her. "I guess I'm not very good at that sort of thing. I may have made things worse."

Made things worse, huh... Rolling her eyes, Rin untangled herself from his arms and turned to face him. "Worse how?" she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Well, she just quit about a minute ago," Haru shrugged.

"Oh, that's just great," Rin groaned, putting a hand to her face. "What the hell did you say to that girl?"

"I told her to marry Yuki or we'd fire her?" Haru explained calmly. "Its not my fault she didn't like the idea."

"Not a subtle bone in your body, is there, Haru dear," Rin said shaking her head. Lifting a hand to his hair, she ran her fingers through it thoughtfully. "Maybe we can still catch her before she leaves?" she suggested. "Seems a shame to just let her quit like that when she hasn't done anything wrong."

"Well, I don't know about that," Haru observed, pointing out through his doorway. Rin tilted her head to the side, straining to see what he was referring to. On the other side of the building, Machi was at her desk, knocking over everything on top of it. Throwing down pens and picture frames. Tearing up sheets of paper. Knocking over a lamp and kicking the chair over. Other workers gave her disapproving sighs and irritated looks, but no one was shocked anymore. This wasn't the first time she had done something like this. "Looks like little Machi is flustered again. You know what she does when she's flustered."

"Like a human typhoon," Rin commented in amusement. "Someone should probably stop her."

"It'll pass," Haru said with little interest. "It always does. Its just her way of letting out her frustrations. Still think she should keep working for us?"

"Yeah, I do actually."

Pressing a button on his phone, Haru waited a moment before a soft male voice came on. "Ritsu," he instructed through the receiver. "Have Yuki catch up to Machi before she leaves. Tell him to do anything he can to keep her from going, offer a higher wage, better hours, whatever..."

"Yes sir!" Ritsu shouted from the other end. "I shall do my best to live up to your greatest expectations! Forgive me for being such an incompetent person! I really am trying even though I end up failing miserably at everything I do! Please forgive me. I'm so sorry!"

Ignoring Ritsu's insane ranting, Haru released the button on his phone and turned to Rin. "Happy now?" he asked raising an eyebrow. "A little interaction between those two will be good for them. Might as well kill two birds with one stone, you know."  
"Its so good of you to tie up all the lose ends," Rin smirked, shaking her head. "But, there is one more thing that I wanted to ask you."

"What's that?"

"Have you seen Kagura today? Its not like her to be so late. She hasn't even called in sick or anything."

"No, I haven't seen her," Haru replied with a shrug. "Why? Are you worried about her?"

Not responding for a moment, Rin shook her head. "No... I guess not."

"Oh Yuki-kun," Shigure called cheerfully as he flagged him down from the other end of the office. "Ritsu told me to tell you to keep Machi from quitting."

"What are you talking about?" Yuki asked furrowing his brows. Did he mean that girl he had just run into? He hadn't even known that she was quitting to begin with. Maybe that was why she had run off again like that. That kind of made him feel relieved. He had been afraid he had said something to offend her again.

"A request from Haru," Shigure explained with a shrug. "I dunno. Just do it."

"Why me specifically?"

"Who knows. I doubt there's any real underlying motive behind it. They just want you to keep her from quitting." Shigure paused, putting a hand to his chin. "And by the by, you do realize there's only three days left right?" He smirked a little before singing. "Aya's getting angry, you know."

Angry! Yuki's brother actually had the nerve to be angry at him! Yuki was the one who should be angry, damn it. It was all Ayame's fault that he was going through all this crap in the first place. Because of Ayame, Yuki was being racked with guilt for using a perfectly sweet and trusting girl for his own selfish desire to have a better position, just so that, quite bluntly, he could make more money. And now, to make matters worse, Yuki was no longer just deceiving her, he had flat out lied to her last night when Tohru had shocked him by blurting out a question about the deal.

How on earth Yuki was ever going to recover what little self respect he still had for himself was still a mystery to him now. He was beginning to think that maybe he was evil personified sent to make the one person he could ever possibly fall in love with completely miserable. And, as previously mentioned, this was all because of his brother.

"Well anyway," Yuki muttered finally, shaking his head. "What do you want me to do about it. If I don't win, I lose out on the deal, right?"

"Yes, in theory," Shigure agreed. "But what bothers Aya the most is that you're not even trying. He feels like you're not taking this seriously at all..." Glancing behind him, Shigure bent down a little and motioned for Yuki to come closer. "And just between you and me," he said softly. "I hear the stakes may go up a little. You may be looking at being demoted even."

"You... you're kidding me," Yuki scoffed, his face growing red with anger. "He wouldn't dare do that... would he?"

"He just might," Shigure replied shaking his head. "He really wants you to find someone... I think he's afraid you'll end up like him... what with what happened between him and Miine and all."

"Well, I'll have you know, I already found somebody," Yuki blurted out indignantly. He stopped immediately when he realized what he had said. Shoot, he had been meaning to keep it a secret for a little longer. First of all, just in case it didn't work out, and second of all, to keep rumors from flying and to keep the other women from gossiping about Tohru.

"Is... that... so?" Shigure asked slowly. "Then why haven't we heard anything about it."

"Forget it," Yuki said quickly. "I don't have anyone yet... just someone I'd like to consider asking out... Tell Ayame I'll try... and not to do anything too rash just yet..."

"Fine," Shigure agreed. Pointing in the direction where Machi was leaning over her desk and putting her things into a box. "And don't forget her. You still have to keep her from going anywhere."

chapter 22- day 5- jealousy

Tohru hummed cheerfully to herself as she and Hana crossed the street, pausing as a car turned the corner in front of them. They were headed toward the pet store to buy Kyoko some doggy toys. Hana was fuming beside her, a black aura practically visible around her body as she grumbled something about that damned dog chewing up her favorite cape and pillow.  
"I'll kill it," Hana hissed to herself. "It must die!"

Shaking her head in amusement, Tohru put a hand on Hana's shoulder as they walked. "Don't worry, we'll find her something to play with and then she won't have to go after our things," Tohru said with smile.

"Surely you saw what that mutt did, didn't you!" Hana huffed. "My cape suffered considerable damage... and what of your work shoes? Are you not angry at all?"

"I guess so," Tohru shrugged. Actually, she had been a little too distracted with her life lately to worry too much about losing a pair of old shoes so it really hadn't bothered her all that much. But she had a feeling telling Saki that right now probably wouldn't make things any better.

"Perhaps we should buy a cage as well while we're at it," Hanajima continued bitterly as they approached the store.

Tohru couldn't help but laugh. It looked as though Hana was reverting back to her previous hatred of all canines. "Arisa went out looking for a job this morning too, didn't she?" Tohru asked, trying to change the subject. "But... I still feel bad that she left her husband like that... She was so in love with him too."

"All male are scum," Hana stated matter of factly as she pulled the door open, allowing her friend to go in ahead of her before entering herself. "It was only a matter of time before she realized that."

"I don't know," Tohru began quietly. "I wish she'd at least try and work it out with him. Instead... she just let all her feelings build up inside her and then suddenly told him she was leaving out of nowhere... It must have been hard on him too..." she trailed off as a parrot in a cage beside her flapped wildly before landing back on its swing.

"Welcome, welcome, goodbye," it chirped loudly, cocking its head to the side. "Goodbye, goodbye, asshole, cheap bastards, squawk."

"Oh my," Tohru chuckled as she looked up at the bird in the cage. "What kind of words did your owner teach you."

"Shut up bitch, hello," it replied, moving its head back and forth and flapping its wings.

Making a face, Tohru turned her attention to her friend Hanajima who was kneeled before a glass tank, glaring down at a snake.

"Don't you dare look at me like that," Hana warned in a low voice, "now back away or you shall not live to regret it." The snake cowered back, curling itself into a ball and hiding its head in a coil.

"Ah please don't threaten the pets, Hana-chan," Tohru asked, sweatdropping. Stepping beside her, she grabbed a large bag of crunchy dog food and looked it over. "We should get Kyoko one of these too instead of just feeding her the canned stuff all the time," Tohru commented. "It might be better for her teeth."

"Yes, I suppose," Hana replied with little interest. "Let's just locate what is required and exit."

"All right," Tohru agreed, shifting the bag into her right arm as she grabbed a few squeeze toys. "I think two of these should be enough." She held up a rubber mouse and squished it in her hand, a loud squeak sounding from it. "A mouse," Tohru grinned. "Isn't it cute?"

"I didn't know you liked mice, Tohru-kun" Hana commented, raising a brow.

Tohru shrugged, carrying the bag and toys to the register and setting them down. "Well, I guess I do. I never really thought about it before..." Smiling to herself, she couldn't help but feel more than a little distracted. After what had happened that morning, she had been in a good mood all day. Sohma-kun had called her and asked if she wanted to come over his place that night and have him make her dinner. Although the thought of him making dinner didn't particularly strike her as the most appetizing idea in the world, she had to admit it was very romantic nonetheless.

Pulling out her wallet, Tohru paid for the items on the counter and Hana came to help her carry some of them. She too seemed to be in a bit of a good mood for some reason. All complaints about their new pet aside, Hana-chan actually had a relatively cheerful aura about her.

"Did something nice happen to you?" Tohru asked finally as they left the store. She grinned as she tried to think of what it could be. Maybe Hana-chan had won the lottery! No, wait, Hana wasn't particularly fond of that sort of thing so that couldn't be it. Had she found a guy she was interested in? No, that couldn't be it either... considering the fact that she hated men. Let's see... a bonus at work maybe?

"Does it show that much?" Hana asked, an amused tone in her voice. Smiling coyly at her friend, Hana dipped a hand into her black silk purse and pulled out three light blue colored tickets. She held them up for her friend, her smile growing. "I won three free dinners at that new Italian restaurant that just opened up," she said cheerfully. "There was a drawing the other day at the grocery store... Of course... these are just the first place prizes... I had actually been hoping for the consolation price... a set of black candles... but I was happy with these too..." She tucked them back into her purse, a warm expression on her face, despite her usually cool exterior, and she turned her eyes to the cement as they walked. "You've been so busy lately... with that man... that we hardly have time to do anything together anymore. I was looking forward to the three of us going out tonight..."

Tohru felt her heart sink as she spoke, wondering how she would explain to Hana that she already had plans. "That sounds like a lot of fun," she beamed, trying to match her friend's enthusiasm. "They were working on that restaurant for so long I've been dying to try it out since they finally opened... We should go... ah... tomorrow maybe?"

"To...tomorrow?" Hana asked, her voice perplexed as she moved her gaze back up toward her friend. "But they're only good for tonight... Why would you..." She stopped in her tracks, the smile fading completely from her face. "I understand..." she said quietly. "I should have known. You're doing something with him again tonight, aren't you..."

"It's just that he already asked me this morning," Tohru replied desperately, wishing there was some way she could make it up to her friend. "Otherwise, you know I would love too..."

"Forget it," Saki snapped, spinning around and running toward the street. "Just marry the bastard and be miserable for all I care!"

Tohru's eyes widened in horror as her friend ran blindly into the busy street without looking and she lunged forward, trying to grab Hana's arm to pull her back. "No, wait!" she cried, her hand grasping thin air as Hana raced forward away from her grasp. A truck hidden by the corner of the intersection came speeding forward, and Hana turned just in time to see it as it crashed into her, sending her body flying backwards. Tohru watched in shock, her mouth dropping in horror as Saki's body soared in the air, twisting like a ragdoll, and landing in a heap in front of her. She was deaf to the cries of other pedestrians as she stumbled forward, collapsing beside Hana's still form.

Tohru could feel her entire body begin to shake, her lips quivering in fear. Please... please let her be okay. Please God... don't do this to me again. Leaning forward, she gently placed a shaking hand on Saki's shoulder, tears welling up in her eyes. "H... Hana-chan," she choked softly. "Are you all right?" Shaking her head desperately, she pulled her hand back, as if afraid she'd cause more damage, and began to sob loudly. "Please no..." she begged. "not again. No like mom... Speak to me Hana-chan..."

An ambulance was already sounding in the distance but Tohru couldn't hear a thing. All she saw was her friend's limp body, the color draining from her skin, and a puddle of blood forming beneath her. It was all her fault. This had happened to Hana-chan because of her.

Kureno groaned loudly, sending another pathetic look toward Hatori, who continued to ignore him regardless. Sighing again, Kureno leaned forward in his seat, sprawling himself on top of Hatori's desk, and using his arms to cover over the notebook his friend was writing on. Damn it. Where was sympathy when you really needed it.

"All right. Fine," Hatori muttered, rolling his eyes. "I'll stop_ working. Y_ou know, that magical thing you should probably consider doing right now, just to listen to you complain some more about your life."

Making a face, Kureno shook his head in annoyance. "You know, you'd think even you would be able to show at least a little compassion to a guy who's wife just left him."

Hatori gave him a stern look, his eyes piercing into his own silently for a few seconds. Then he let out a little breath and returned his attention back to his notes. "There, I gave you some sympathy. Happy now?"

"Ah, not really," Kureno replied flatly. His shoulders dropped and he pulled out his wallet, opening it to a picture of him and Arisa on their wedding day. Uo was smiling so happily, her eyes wet with tears, her hair pulled up in a beautiful loose bun with wavy blond tendrils hanging in her face, and a white veil over her head. When Kureno thought about it, he supposed he hadn't seen her smile like that in long time... Was it really all his fault? "I guess I really screwed up," Kureno said quietly, running a finger gently over Arisa's face.

"I guess you did," Hatori replied with little interest as he punched a few numbers into a calculator and jotted them down in his notes.

Not hearing Hatori's response, Kureno continued to gaze at the picture, deep in thought. "I promised myself I would take care of her for the rest of our lives," he continued softly. "So I asked her not to work. I thought it would make her happy. And instead, I worked twice as much for the both of us. I had saved up so much money for our future together. We had talked about having a kid, maybe even two , and I wanted to prepare for it... But I guess, I was so wrapped up in trying to make her happy financially, that I ended up making her miserable..."

"Well, that's the way it goes," Hatori commented absently.

"You know what," Kureno retorted, "you're really not helping at all."

"Then quit bothering me when I'm busy," Hatori replied matter of factly. "It's not easy running eight medical facilities, you know. There's always something going wrong, and things that need to be fixed, and new equipment and technology being put on the market, and struggling to stay up to date with all these new breakthroughs in medicine, and..."

"Fine, fine. I get the idea," Kureno said shaking his head. "I guess it must be pretty stressful having a job like that. So many people depend on you..." _As for myself, I couldn't even take care of the one person that depended on me... Maybe I really am just a hopeless cause. _

"Buy her flowers," Hatori suggested suddenly, turning his chair slightly to face his computer and typing a few numbers in a bar graph.

Kureno shook his head in amazement. That had to be the most cliché, lamest suggestion he had ever heard. But, he supposed at the very least, it meant the guy had been listening after all. And come to think of it, maybe that wasn't such a bad idea either. Except, when it came to Arisa, she could be pretty stubborn when it came to... well... just about everything. He had a feeling he was going to have to give her some space for awhile before he tried anything just yet. Besides, he was obviously a failure as a husband or it wouldn't have come to this in the first place. Until he was certain that he would really make her happy this time, he didn't want to be the one to cause her anymore heartache. "Thanks Tori," Kureno finally replied, smiling weakly. "Maybe I will."

Well, this was going to be awkward. Yuki had absolutely no clue why he had suddenly been given the job of keeping Machi from quitting when it clearly had absolutely nothing to do with him, but... whatever. He just wished he knew the reason she wanted to leave in the first place. Without that bit of vital knowledge, it was going to be kind of difficult to convince her otherwise.

He found her at her desk, shoving the last of some tattered papers into a box along with a picture frame and a broken lamp. That was odd, why was all of her stuff in such... not so great condition? Oh well, not any of his business. He just had to keep her from leaving and then he could get back to his real work. "Excuse me," he called out, stepping up beside her.

Machi looked up, a surprised look on her face when she saw him. Looking back down at her desk, she continued to clean up, gathering a handful of pencils and highlighters together. Great, now what was he supposed to say. She almost looked like she was trying to ignore him on purpose. What the heck was this girl's problem anyway! Did she have some kind of grudge against him or something? Every time he tried to say anything to her she acted like a total and complete witch, minus the w, and replaced with b. "I said, excuse me," he stated again in exasperation, louder this time. He was starting to get really annoyed.

Letting out a little sigh, Machi finally looked up to face him, her eyes boring into his own. "What?" she asked flatly.

There! Finally! Now that wasn't so damn hard now, was it! That was probably the first freaking response he had managed to get out of her all week! "I've been asked to tell you not to quit," Yuki stated, trying to keep his voice calm. She obviously disliked him for some reason or another, so he really didn't see why he had to be the one to beg her to stay at their company if she wanted to leave so badly. "So don't."

Machi's face heated up with anger and she narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't know what it is about you Sohma's," she retorted. "Thinking you can tell me what to do. Just because I work for you doesn't mean you own me. You can't command the decisions I make in my life."

Throwing his hands up in frustration, Yuki shook his head in complete and utter disbelief. "What the hell are you talking about!" he asked loudly. Was this woman completely out of her mind! "I'm just asking you not to quit!"

"Don't act like you don't know," Machi muttered, folding her arms in front her. "Hatsuharu Sohma told me all about it."

Yuki found himself groaning, and took a moment to take in a long deep breath. All right. Time to calm down first. He just wanted to get this over with. First of all, he still had no idea what she was talking about. Second of all, he didn't really care. Whatever happened between her and Haru was her own business. It was time to turn on the old company charm, aka, also known as lying. He wasn't sure what it was, whether being around Tohru, or maybe just all the stress he had been under lately, but he had been letting out his emotions far too often lately. In this business, you had to be like a stone; calm, collected and cool, so that your clients felt they could trust and confide in you completely.

"Well," Machi demanded, "what now? Do you have any more orders for me? If not, then I think I'll be going."

Placing a hand over his heart, Yuki let out an exaggerated sigh. "Ma'am, I think I do know exactly what you are referring to and it pains me to know that such disgraceful behavior has been going on in our company, especially when it affects a valued, and talented employee such as yourself. I shall speak to Hatsuharu immediately about the treachery he has caused all of us, and my only hope is that you can somehow, find it in your heart to forgive us."

Machi watched him for a moment in shock, her mouth hanging open silently. "R.. right..." she stammered finally. "I see... Yes, please talk to him about it..."

"And," Yuki added, an apologetic smile on his face. "Because you have been so understanding in this situation, even after being so greatly wronged, and still deciding to stay with our company even! I shall speak to your superiors immediately about giving you a raise."

"Th... thank you?" Machi said uncertainly. "I guess... I can stay here a little longer... Just... Just don't let it happen again."

"No, thank_ you_," Yuki said enthusiastically, flashing her one last smile. "My only hope is that nothing like this ever happens to you again." Turning around, Yuki walked away, making a face as soon as he was out of sight. She was just so freaking weird. And what the hell did Haru really say to her anyway?

chapter 23- day 5- fall in love again

Kagura blinked a few times, taking in her surroundings. Her eyes fell on the glass lamp with flowers etched into the side, the one she had bought on sale last year, sitting on the bed stand, and she furrowed her brows at the alarm clock sitting beneath it. Next to that was a small framed picture of her and Kyo, standing with some cartoon character at Disney World as Kyo scowled at the camera. Kagura... she was... home? What was she doing in her bed like this? Had that whole incident just been some kind of horrible nightmare?

Struggling to sit up, Kagura felt several stabs of pain in her ribs and found that she was covered in black and blue bruises. No, it hadn't been a dream. So what was she doing here? Rubbing her eyes, Kagura groaned as she tried climbing to her feet. This was going to be more difficult than she had thought. She stumbled along forward till she was standing in the doorway and grabbed the wall for support. The smell of rice and eggs cooking wafted toward her and she found herself feeling even more confused. What the hell was going on here?

When she finally reached the kitchen, what she saw nearly made her heart stop beating in her chest in shock. "K...Kyo-kun?" she whispered, here eyes welling up with tears. What was he doing here? Why was he standing over the stove in the kitchen as if everything was normal again. As if they were still together... Like it was perfectly natural.

Jumping a little, Kyo turned around, his eyes widening in surprise. Then just as quickly, he narrowed them angrily, pointing an accusing finger at her. "What the hell did you think you were doing walking around that kind of neighborhood at night!" he shouted. "You just about gave me a heart attack when I found you!"

"Kyo-kun," Kagura began softly, bringing a hand to her chest and clutching her shirt. "you... you brought me back here? How did you find me?"

"Long story," he muttered. Turning the omelette he was making with a spatula, he reached for the salt and pepper shaker and began to sprinkle on a little seasoning. "I was being questioned at the police station... which may I add... was all that damned rat's fault... and when they let me go that night..." he trailed off, and began poking at the egg some more. "I... I was really scared," he admitted quietly. "Seeing you all beat up like that. I said a lot of horrible things the other day and I feel really bad about it. I dunno... I guess I'm trying to say I'm sorr..."

"It's okay," Kagura cut him off, leaning against the kitchen wall and closing her eyes, several tears spilling over her cheeks. She couldn't forget, that no matter how kind he was now, no matter how much it made her heart ache, Kyo had already found someone else. He had told him herself the day he had left her and he had pointed her out to her at the park. Kind, quiet, beautiful, all the things Kagura wasn't.

_Even if it's not me, I want you to be faithful to the woman you're with. I don't want you to be the kind of man that can't be trusted, that lies and cheats on the one that loves him... Even if its with someone else, I want you to be faithful to her._

"Thank you for helping me," Kagura continued, wiping at her damp cheeks. "But I'd really appreciate it if you just left right now." She watched him turn and look at her again, a strange look on his face. Please... She didn't want him to make this any harder. Didn't he realize how much this was hurting her... how much it made her heart ache to be so close to him, to be able to see him again like this. Oh God, she loved him so much.

"What's the big idea," Kyo retorted. "First you beg me to come back to you and now you want me to go? I apologized, didn't I?"

Kagura looked at him in sheer amazement as he said this. Was he that oblivious? Is that really what he thought she was talking about? Wasn't he thinking about his girlfriend at all! "I don't think its right for you to be with another woman other than your girlfriend," Kagura finally spat back, her face heating up with anger. "I'm sure she'd be jealous." _Even if its not me... please be faithful to the woman you're with..._

"What the hell are you..." Kyo trailed off, a guilty expression on his face. What now? Just great. Something else he wasn't telling her? "Uh look, about that..." he began. "I've been meaning to clear that up with..." he stopped when he realized black smoke was rising from the pan and a look of panic crossed his features. "Oh shit, now look what you made me do," he complained, shutting off the stove and looking down at his burnt omelette in disappointment. He sighed, dumping the eggs onto a plate, obviously deciding to eat them anyway. "I was really worried about you," he muttered in annoyance. "But if you don't want me here then fine. I'll go."

"Good," Kagura hissed, turning around and heading back toward her room. She grimaced in pain at the sharp jabs still bothering her sides, and rubbed her sore arms tenderly with her hands. She was unable to hold them back any longer and more hot tears began spilling down her face as she went into her room. Slamming the door shut, she collapsed on her bed, sniffling loudly and pulling out a box of tissues. Good. It was better this way. Kyo had made it clear a long time ago that he had never really loved her anyway.

Tohru covered her face with her hands, crying quietly to herself as she sat beside Hana in the hospital bed. She could hardly bare to see her friend in the condition she was in, i.v.'s dangling from her arms, her face and body wrapped in white bandages, and the heart monitor, steadily beeping beside her. And the worst part about it, the thing that really got to her, was the fact that it was all her fault. It was because she had been so selfish lately, neglecting her friends, and spending every waking moment with a man that she had just met days before.

Wiping at her eyes, Tohru leaned forward in her chair, taking Saki's hand in her own and squeezing it tightly. "I'm so sorry, Hana-chan," she whispered tearfully. "I promise I'll never do anything like that again. I'll stop seeing him. It'll be just us, just like how it used to be... We'll take care of each other for the rest of our lives. I'll do anything if it'll help you get better again... Please be all right... "

Tohru shut her eyes, letting Hana's hand fall from her own and resting her hand on her forehead. Saki had been one of her best friends for over eight years... And she had let a guy come between them so easily like it was nothing... Granted... she was in love with this guy... Tohru sometimes felt that she loved him so much she didn't know what to do with herself. And yet... maybe she shouldn't be in a relationship right now... or ever. Maybe men really did just make life more complicated... Come to think it, life had been so much easier before she met Yuki. Perhaps Hana had been right all along.

Groaning loudly to herself, Tohru wondered what she should do. She didn't want to stop seeing Yuki. If anything, she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. But maybe that kind of thinking was considered selfish? If being with him was going to hurt her friends like this, then maybe they shouldn't be together after all.

"Tohru! I came as fast as I could," Arisa panted, running into the room. Her eyes fell on Hanajima and she gasped, her face growing pale. "Oh my god," she muttered. "I had no idea she was hurt this bad."

"Uo-chan," Tohru cried, running up to her friend and wrapping her arms tightly around her. "I just don't know what to do. Its all my fault Hana-chan was hit by that car. Its all because of me!"

"Hey, calm down," Arisa said gently, patting Tohru comfortingly on the back. "It'll be all right. Just tell me what happened."

"I... I've been so horrible," Tohru choked, sobbing into her shoulder. "I've been ignoring her and she wanted to do something and I was already going out with Sohma-san and she got so angry because I'm always with him and and... and... she wasn't looking and she ran into the street... and its all because I've been so selfish..."

Uotani was silent for a moment before letting out a small sigh and shaking her head. "Its not your fault, Tohru," she reassured. "Hana was just jealous... That doesn't mean you were wrong for wanting to be with him." She placed her hands on Tohru's shoulders, and took a step back, looking her straight in the eyes. "Its all right for you to think about just yourself once in awhile," she said quietly. "Its okay for you to want to be happy."

Nodding, Tohru wiped at her eyes before hugging her friend again. "Thank you," she said softly. "You made me feel a lot better." The two of them made their way to Hana's bed and pulled up chairs, taking a seat beside her.

"I guess the only thing we can do now is watch over her and wait for her to wake up," Uo commented, trying to sound optimistic. "I mean... she doesn't look..._ that_ bad... She'll probably be up and about by tomorrow morning. Just wait, and you'll see."

"I hope you're right, Uo-chan," Tohru sighed.

Yuki tucked some folders under his arm as he carried them to Hatori's office. He realized he was passing Haru's office as well, and checked his watch. Hmm, well, he still had a little bit of time before he needed to drop these off. Might as well stop by Haru's desk and find out what Machi had been so angry about earlier.

Knocking on his cousin's closed door, he heard a muffled voice from inside invite him in. Yuki pushed it open and peeked inside, finding Haru at work typing on his computer. Hatsuharu turned to look at him, his eyes lighting up when he saw who was at the door. "Yuki!" Haru exclaimed. "What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to ask you something," Yuki explained, taking a seat in a leather chair in front of his cousin's desk. "Its about that woman, Machi?"

"Ah yes," Haru nodded with approval. "Shigure informed me you were able to keep her from quitting, you smooth talker you." He gave him a wink, smiling coyly at him. "So, what do you think? She's pretty, isn't she? Do you like her?"

"Wait, what?" Yuki asked in confusion. "What are you talking about? I just came to ask what you did to piss her off so much. She was really angry, you know."

"My, my, whatever are you talking about?" Hatsuharu asked innocently. "I didn't do anything at all. I simply gave her an assignment and she refused to take it."

Making a face, Yuki narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him. "Gee, why do I get the feeling you're not telling me the truth," he commented sarcastically. "Really Haru, if you made some kind of perverted move on her, I can see why she'd want to quit. Not only is that totally against company policy but morally, its just really, really wrong. And what about Rin? Does she know about it?"

"Ah Yuki," Haru broke in, raising a hand. "I think you have the wrong idea."

"Then tell me what you did to her."

Haru let out a sigh, and rested his arms on his desk in front of him, interlocking his fingers together. "You make it so hard to help you Yuki..."

"Help me with what!" Yuki cried out exasperated. Were they even talking about the same thing anymore? Sometimes he wondered if the whole world was just insane and had forgotten to tell him about it.

"Help you find love of course," Haru replied matter-of-factly. "Everyone at the company really wants you to get that promotion. I asked Machi if she would be interested in having a relationship with you and she became so overly defensive. If you ask me, I think she likes you though. You really should be taking this deal with your brother a little more seriously. You only have two more days left after this."

Groaning, Yuki covered his forehead with his hand, his elbow resting on his knee. Why did everyone have to try and interfere with his life like this? Did they really think he was that incapable of finding somebody on his own? Why was everyone so certain he needed some kind of outside influence for him to be able to find a woman to be with. Damn it! Did they all think that low of him! When, he had in fact, found somebody to love perfectly fine all by his little, incompetent, self. "I appreciate the thought," Yuki muttered finally. "But I don't need any help, and especially not any help involving me with someone like Machi."

"But what's wrong with her," Haru pressed inquisitively. "She's a nice woman, very attractive. So what if she's a little... eccentric. It'll put a little spice into the relationship."

"You're kidding me, right?" Yuki asked in amazement. "You don't seriously believe all the stuff you're saying, do you?"

Haru looked at him silently for a moment, his mouth going into a firm, straight line. Well now, it had a been a while since Yuki had seen Haru look so serious. Uh-oh... Hopefully not too serious... "So, this is the thanks I get," Hatsuharu sneered in a low voice. "After worrying about you, this is the way you show your appreciation!"

Eeep.

Black Haru.

Yuki had to admit, it had a been awhile since Yuki had seen Haru's other personality. Maybe now would be a good time to slowly mosy his way out of here. "Ah, calm down, Haru," Yuki laughed nervously. "It was a joke. I'm really happy you want me to go out with Psycho Bitch back there... er... that is to say..."

"You have no idea how pissed off Ayame is getting, do you!" Black Haru shouted angrily. "If you don't do something now, he's going to strip you of your position and make you a damned errand boy. Is that what you want! So why don't you get off your ass and start doing something about it!"

"Yes sir," Yuki said quickly, slowly climbing to his feet and edging his way back. "Will do. Now why don't you just relax and get back to work. Uh, I'll have Rin run you up some coffee or something..." Turning around, he quickly ran out of the office, slamming the door shut behind him.

Geez, that had been pretty nerve wracking. But, he couldn't help but hope that what Haru had said was just some kind of delusional talk of his crazed split personality. Ayame couldn't possibly do something like... make him an errand boy? That... that was simply ridiculous. He was Yuki Sohma. He was the supervisor of this entire building... Right?

There's something about being kicked out of your own home that really pisses you off. Granted, Kyo realized that he was someone that was prone to being pissed off pretty damned easily. A kid could accidentally step on his foot and he'd probably whap him over the head. That's lack of anger management for you. And granted as well, he had technically left his home of his own free will only days before, so its a little hard to be booted out of a place you've already left.

However, this wasn't just any situation, involving any person and any household. This was Kagura we were talking about. Ever faithful, ever blindly following and loving Kagura, who's greatest concern was when they were going to be married. Around her, Kyo could do no wrong. He knew that no matter what happened, she would bestow upon him the unconditional love he imagined a mother would give to their child, not counting his own mother of course, who couldn't stand him enough to kill herself just to get away. But that wasn't the point.

Kyo wanted to imagine that he had more of a choice in the matter of his relationship with her. Instead, he had felt pushed and yanked along, like being hogtied and locked away against one's will. He had needed an outlet. One way to feel like his life hadn't already been decided for him. Kagura loved him, always had, always would, but did that give him an obligation to love her back? What if it did? And then, oh darn, she does something crazy likes tries to kill herself, and suddenly he's free to do as he pleases (with restrictions of course), his life is no longer doomed, he isn't going to be locked up for life, and all thanks to Kagura. So now what? He owes her, not only his affection, but his life as well, doesn't he?

All right. Makes sense. But then, it didn't. Still looking for that outlet. Fast forward several years. Look, Arisa Uotani. Biggest pain in the ass he ever met, but something about her. Maybe she was the one. The one that was going to help him feel in charge of his life. For once, he'd be the pursuer. He'd be the one trying to make it work. He was working toward a goal in his life that he himself had chose. And where does it get him? To a fact that we've all heard about a thousand times before, 'the grass is greener on the other side'.

It just didn't click. Not the way he wanted it to at least. She was cool. She was beautiful and great. He wanted to be her best friend. He wanted her to confide in him, maybe watch a ball game with her even. But that was where it ended. The more he thought about it, the more (and less) sense that it made. His heart just couldn't quite see her as anything more than that. A good friend.

Now Kagura. Back to good old, naïve Kagura. Its amazing what finding the one you're always pushing away lying naked and beaten half to death in a dark alley way can do to you. Kyo, personally, had thought he was going to puke, was immediately overwhelmed by a blinding rage, and then had felt sick all over again. He'd carried her home, wrapped in his coat, and practically shaking all the while he was so angry. Who could've done this to her? Who the hell thought they had a right to do this to _his_ fiance, damn it.

And then, the next afternoon, always that bundle of sunshine that she is (not that Kyo was ever any better himself), she'd awoken, not to thank him and hold him and tearfully tell him those words of love that she liked to bleat out without a second thought, but to tell him to leave. Cough cough. Excuse me? Did the world suddenly go through some kind of dimensional space warp? Had she been taken over by alien life forms? Had she suffered one to many blows to the head? Was this the way you freaking thanked someone for helping you out?

Kyo felt angry, humiliated even by her coldness. Sure, maybe he deserved a little harsh treatment. He never seemed to hesitate when he did the same to her. But you know, its only when someone doesn't want you anymore that you want them. And all of a sudden, Kyo was in love with her again. He'd fallen in love with her several times in his life of course, though the love usually quickly faded to a dim sort of annoyance every time. But this time seemed different. This time, he knew it was real.

For example, he remembered being seven at a family corporation dinner. This was a big time celebration too. The company was celebrating a big deal they had made at the end of the year that had quadrupled their profits. Big whooptey doo. Not like it concerned him. As a matter of fact, the only thing that had concerned him at the time was the fact that none of the other kids wanted to play with the "wretched cat" and instead, chose to ignore him completely. And then, Kagura had appeared, like a little fairy in pink tights and blinking shoes, back when shoes that lit up when you walked were cool, and had taken him into the back where she helped him build a sand castle. God he had loved her so much then. But maybe more in a sisterly sort of way. Still, it had been love nonetheless.

He remembered being thirteen on Valentine's day, and Kagura stealing his first kiss. Once again, he had fallen in love. Though it didn't last. You should have tasted the chocolate she tried to get him to eat afterwards. It was terrible. But regardless, she forced him to eat it anyway, not to mention the fact that she had to make sure he enjoyed every bite of it too, damn it! And so the feeling of love didn't last, and Kyo had spent the rest of the day with a churning stomach, and running to the restroom every five minutes or so.

Skip forward a decade or so, and he was proposing to her. He had really been in love with her then. Everything about her drove him wild with affection. It was as if someone had flipped an 'on' switch in his heart out of nowhere. Even she seemed surprised, not that she complained or anything. And Kyo enjoyed the brief but comfortable feeling of being in a true, consenting relationship. Kissing her, holding her, watching her sleep beside him, had brought him this indescribable pleasure that can only be summed up generically as 'happiness.'

But, then, all of a sudden, something in him snapped. He wondered what he was doing with his life. He was twenty five, hardly all that old yet, and already settling down with the same female that he had known since his bedwetting days. Where was the excitement in that? Maybe, if he could just pry the damned woman off him for a freaking day, he'd go out into the world and meet some beautiful, exotic actress from France, or maybe a sweet, young, kindergarten teacher, or something like that. Someone totally different. And maybe he'd experience a feeling he had never known existed because he had shut himself up with the first human being with boobs that he had known in his life.

And so, as things go, Kyo had grown bitter, Kagura had become depressed and anxious because he was bitter, and suddenly, everything they did annoyed each other. Kyo ended up saying a lot of things he hadn't meant, and Kagura had been forced to pretend that she had known all along that he didn't mean them. Not looking good.

Lets blame Yuki. Sounded good to him. The damned rat had more than he deserved anyway. And so began Kyo's pitiful downward spiral into total and utter misery. Maybe making Yuki's life suck to compensate for his own misfortunes had been a little... childish to the say the least, but well, it seemed like a good idea at the time! All right! So there. Now get over it.

All his problems aside, Kyo was now currently at work, a fake smile plastered on his face, though everyone always complained it looked more like a scowl, and now he was forced to suck up to customers just so that they left him the tip that technically, they were supposed to give him anyway, but not always did. And why? Because they were cheap bastards that don't seem to understand that servers only make two bucks an hour, most of which disappears to taxes, and if they don't tip, the server is basically working for free.

Gag, excuse me, waiters have bills too. That's right, you may treat them like slaves, but what do you know, they're real people, with real problems, and if the chefs forget to take off that leaf of lettuce cause you're too damned lazy to do it yourself, it doesn't mean you should bitch at them and complain to their manager about the rotten service you had and shout "no money for you!" What was he? A hooker? No wait, they make more.

And all complaints aside, Kyo, all he could think about right now was Kagura

chapter 24- day 5- dnner for two

After making several desperate glances at the clock, Yuki looked at the dining room table that he had attempted to set in a romantic fashion all on his little lonesome. In the center of the table on either side of a bouquet of red roses, two dazzling, (not to mention expensive) white candles with strips of gold colored wax wrapping around the tall sticks were standing in matching candle holders shaped like cherubs carrying long vines of ivy. He had laid out two plates, two tall, crystal wine glasses, and two sets of silverware, all over a white silk tablecloth, arranging them as carefully as he could.

However, it wasn't the table placement that he was actually all that concerned about. On the contrary, this minor necessity seemed relatively easy when compared to the infinitely difficult task of actually cooking a full course meal. A pot on the stove seemed to clatter loudly in protest, as if responding to his doubt, and Yuki ran into the kitchen, disturbed to see the live lobsters he had thrown in still struggling to crawl out. Weren't they supposed to die instantly or something! Feeling his stomach lurch, he turned the stove up higher, realizing that the water had yet to come to a full boil. Poor things.

Beside the pot of escaping crustaceans, sat a pan filled with mixed vegetables, burning themselves to a lovely crisp in the oil. Frowning, Yuki tried to turn the burner off, but the knob broke off, and Yuki let out a yelp as the pan caught on fire. He began to panic and grabbed the handle, only to discover a truth that would have most likely been totally obvious under calmer circumstances, a fact that people were never meant to grab hold of anything that is currently covered in flames. Instant pain ran up his palm and up his arm as Yuki released the handle, dropping the burning side dish onto the floor. The flames began to lap at the wooden counter and Yuki ran around in circles frantically trying to find a fire extinguisher.

Finally, extinguisher in hand, white foam all over the floor, Yuki crumpled to the ground, letting out a gigantic sigh of relief. His ruined vegetables lay in a blackened, greasy pile on the tiles, and Yuki looked around cautiously. Satisfied that there were no witnesses, not that there could be, considering the fact that he was alone in his apartment at the moment, Yuki scooped the fallen food onto a plate, brushed off some of the foam from the fire extinguisher and set it on the table. Five second rule, he thought to himself. It was still good, right?

He turned to look at the lobsters, which had somehow made it out of the pot and were crawling around on the counter. Yuki could feel his face heat up with anger and he pulled open a drawer, retrieving a giant steak knife. Die damn it! They were food! He was human! They were meant to be eaten!

As he went to attack the escaping main course, his eyes fell on the neon numbers of the microwave clock and he could feel himself begin to panic. Already 8:05? Tohru was supposed to be here five minutes ago! That meant that she could walk in at any moment and catch him in the act of chasing after runaway food with a huge knife. By the time he turned his attention back to the lobsters, they had already fallen off the shelf and were skittering across the floor. Growling, he leaped on one, stabbing the knife down and missing, the tip wedging itself into his tile floor.

The lobster kept running, and Yuki sighed, giving up. Climbing to his feet, he pulled open the oven to see how his baked potatoes were doing. As soon as he opened the door, a cloud of dark smoke came at him, and Yuki coughed, waving it away with his hand. He removed the cookie sheet the potatoes were sitting on with a potholder, and set it down on the counter. Hmm, it looked a little burnt on the outside... okay, very burnt on the outside, but the inside was probably good, right? Poking it with a fork, he was disappointed to discover the middle was almost completely still raw.

"I don't believe this," he muttered. Letting out a sigh, he dumped the potatoes on another plate and carried them to the table. That still left him lacking a main menu item now. A lobster attempted to pinch his toe as he stood pondering and Yuki kicked it away in annoyance. Going to his freezer, he pulled out a box of lasagna and tossed it in the microwave. There, all done.

However, he was still at a loss about what to do about these damned lobsters running around his feet. Opening his apartment door, he shooed them out of the room, letting them run free in the hallway. He couldn't help but chuckle a little as they skittered about, heading toward the staircase and plopping their way down to the floor beneath him. There, now someone else could worry about them.

Closing the door, Yuki made his way back into the kitchen and made an attempt to undo the damage the fire and live dinner had done. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rising as he wiped at the floor, and his muscles tensing as well. He had wanted this night to be special. Now his nerves were shot, and he was still waiting for Tohru to show up. Come to think of it, she was already ten minutes late. Where was she? He supposed it was a good thing she wasn't completely on time though, considering all the little dilemmas he had just faced, but still... he hoped she came soon. Tonight, he decided he was going to tell her everything... Because he loved her... he would tell her the truth.

It's never too late to go to work. That was Kagura's motto. And so, the black and blue, bruised mess that she was, she had dragged her aching carcass to the Sohma Corporation Building, late by a good two and a half hours or so. Sure, she probably could have called in, explained that she was dying and couldn't quite come in that day, but then she'd be stuck at home, depressed and lonely, and wondering what Kyo was doing now that she had kicked him out for good.

Sighing, Kagura looked at the clock. It was already 9 pm. She had figured she'd compensate for coming in late by staying behind and catching up on some paper work she had gotten terribly behind on. It wasn't as if anything particularly exciting was going to happen if she did go home when she was supposed to anyway. She was alone, and hating every minute of it.

The office had grown quiet as the hours passed, and only a few stragglers, the ones that really put their heart and soul into their work and had absolutely no social life of their own, still remained. Kagura couldn't help but almost laugh to herself. Here she was, joining the ranks of these desperate fellow employees, as they tried to find some sort of purpose in their depressing lives through their occupation.

"Kagura? What are you still doing here?" A male's voice asked as he passed by.

Looking up, Kagura found Kureno standing before her, an amused look on his face. "Kureno-kun?"

"Its not like you to stay behind so late," Kureno commented, pulling up a chair and taking a seat beside her. "Catching up on some work?"

"Yeah, something like that," Kagura replied, giving him a weak smile. Kureno was one of those hard working guys that literally lived at the office. It always made her wonder how his wife must take something like that. Never home. Always gone. But he had good intentions. There wasn't a day that went by without Kureno announcing to the world how he had managed to save up this and this much of this and that, and how he planned to buy some huge house, with a giant yard, and have five zillion kids running around in the back with their pet dogs. "Don't you ever go home?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Nope," Kureno smiled. "No reason to now. My wife left me." He laughed a little, though Kagura had to admit she didn't find it all that funny. "I guess I ruined it... I just wanted to make her happy... but I ruined it..." It took a moment to realize just how distraught he really was and Kagura could feel her heart going out to him.

"Hey, hey," she said gently, trying to comfort him. "It'll be all right. I know how you feel... Kyo-kun... he left me too."

"Did he?" Kureno asked, raising a brow. "Naw, Kyo's a good kid," he said with a wave of his hand. "He'll be back. You know how much he loves you, right?"

Kagura couldn't help but really laugh out loud this time. That was probably the funniest thing she'd heard all night. "I'm sure he can't live without me," she chuckled bitterly. "Your wife, her name was... Arisa? I never met her. What was she like?"

"Like an angel on steroids," Kureno answered affectionately. "I don't think I ever loved anyone as much as I loved her."

How sweet. Very touching, really. But too much. Kagura couldn't stand it anymore. No more self pity! This was getting ridiculous! Letting out a heavy breath, Kagura climbed to her feet, lifting her arms into the air and stretching a little. "Let's get out of this depressing place," she stated finally. She tried to sound cheerful, for Kureno's sake as well as her own. "We'll get ourselves some dinner and who knows, maybe we'll even start to feel a little better about ourselves."

"That's actually a good idea," Kureno agreed. He gave her a mischevious wink. "And I know just the place. A quaint little cafe where a certain hot headed orange kitten works perhaps?"

Shaking her head frantically, Kagura held her hands up defensively in front of her. "Yeah right!" she cried out in protest. "There's no way we're going there of all places."

"Aw, you're shy. How cute."

"No! We're not going there!"

Waking up with a start, Arisa looked around her, only to find herself sprawled over a small round table in the corner of Hana's hospital room, a puddle of drool where her face had been. Yawning, she covered her mouth with her hand, turning to find Tohru, also fast asleep, her head resting on folded arms on Hana's bed, and still half sitting on one of the chairs they had placed alongside their ailing friend. Uo climbed clumsily to her feet, checking her watch, and finding it was already past 9:30 at night. Her stomach was growling loudly and she realized she hadn't eaten since breakfast.

Somehow, she felt empty inside. And not from the lack of food either. A different kind of hollowness that she couldn't quite explain. One that resided in her heart. She had had a nice dream while she slept. It was about her and Kureno, back when they were dating. They had been so happy then. He loved to surprise her too. He'd stop by at the apartment she used to share with Hana and Tohru, and would leave little presents by the door before running away and ducking behind the staircase. Not that he was ever hidden very well of course, but she liked to let him believe that she didn't know he was still there.

All of sudden, she was crying, and Uotani wiped at her eyes in honest surprise. But they wouldn't stop. The tears kept coming out of nowhere, like someone had opened the flood gates and forgotten to close them again. Running to a little sink in the corner of the room, Uo splashed cold water on her face, taking in a deep breath and letting it out again. She grabbed a paper towel and patted her face dry, looking in a small mirror on the wall. There, perfect. As if nothing had happened.

She went to Tohru and shook her gently by the shoulder. "Hey, wake up," she said softly. She was hungry. Beyond hungry. Practically starving even, and she wanted the two of them to get something to eat. But, Tohru stayed fast asleep, and Uo didn't have the heart to keep trying. Tohru looked so peaceful right now. She probably didn't even want to be woken up. The poor girl had been under so much stress lately too. In love with someone who doesn't love you the same. Following them blindly and faithfully, even though you know you'll be unhappy in the end.

Uo blinked. She thought of Kureno. Tohru needed to listen to her, she needed to stay away from Yuki Sohma. It was for the best really... so why did Uo feel so uncertain?

Turning away, she headed out of the room. Visiting hours had probably long since ended by now. She was surprised they had even let them stay this long. But back to the problem of her overwhelming hunger, she might as well stop at that cafe across the street. It was the closest place around and the only one that wouldn't leave a huge dent in her nearly empty wallet from which she would never recover. Hey, come to think of it, she might run into that Kyo guy too. It might be nice to see a familiar face.

Crossing the street quickly, she used a hand to brush back her long hair as the wind whipped it across her face. She could already see the small restaurant, nestled between two other shops, a large 'open' sign, blinking obnoxiously across the front window. The place was well kept, with hardly a brick or paint stroke out of place on the building's exterior. It was nice in that way. Uo opened the door, a blast of warm air rushing at her. She could feel her hunger intensifying.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" a voice asked in surprise. Kyo looked back at her from the aisle, tray in hand, a surprised, though not unpleasant look on his face. He smiled even, and Uo felt herself blush.

"I was visiting a friend in the hospital," she said quietly as he led her to a small table along the window. "Hanajime? You know her, you saw her last night?"

"What happened?" Kyo asked, furrowing his brows. Genuine concern was on his face. She liked that.

"She was hit by a car."

"Are you serious!"

"Yeah. Tohru's still there. She fell asleep in the room," Uo trailed off, a thought suddenly occurring to her. "Come to think of it, I think she had a date with the prince of deception tonight. I wonder if she called him to tell him what happened. I don't think she did."

Kyo laughed a little. "So the rat probably thinks he's been stood up. Funny."

"Serves him right," Uo grumbled. "The bastard deserves anything life throws at him." She sighed, picked up the menu on the table, and pointed to the first thing she could find that looked like it contained the most grease and salt, and therefore would be the most satisfying. "Bring quickly," she ordered. "You have no idea how starving I am."

"All right," Kyo replied, jotting it down on a little pad of paper. "Anything to drink?"

"Uh sure, some iced tea please."

"Would you like lemon with that?"

Uo frowned. "I guess so." She truthfully could care less about a damned lemon. All she wanted right now was food.

"Did you want salad or coleslaw?" Kyo continued.

"What? I dunno, salad."

"What kind of dressing."

"Who cares, just bring it."

"Your meat cooked rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, well, or extra well done."

"As far as I'm concerned, it can be raw," Uo retorted. "Now hurry up and feed me."

"You have a choice of two sides with that. Mashed, corn, baked potato, rice, mixed vegetables, mac and cheese, cornbread..."

"Mashed and corn, extra butter, now hurry up."

"Will that be butter or margarine?"

"Butter damn it!"

"Any brand you're particularly fond of?"

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you Orange Top."

"Yeah, kind of," Kyo chuckled as he turned to walk away. "All right, I'll be back."

Uotani smiled a little, and leaned back against the chair she was sitting on. He was a nice kid. In his own way, he really tried to cheer you up, and actually kind of succeeded too. She glanced out the window, her mouth dropping open in shock as she saw her husband, soon to be ex, walking arm in arm with some brunette. Wait, wasn't that the chick that had been making out with Kyo the first day they all met him. That was when Tohru had still had that crush on him, and had been heartbroken when they saw him kissing her.

Now that little hussy had the nerve to show up here with _her_ husband. With that ass! That stupid bastard! That piece of scum! How could he move on to someone else so quickly? She had just left him yesterday for crying out loud! Someone sure had no problem with moving on! Perhaps those two had been together before that? So maybe he had been cheating on her the whole time after all. Well that sure explained a freaking lot! Like why he wouldn't come home for days at the time!

The two walking outside reached the door of the diner, and entered, Uotani seething in her seat as she watched them. Kureno was laughing at something the woman said, and that damned female was just all smiles. Kyo came back to her table, placing a glass of iced tea in front of her, but Uo was hardly paying attention. Her eyes were glued to her husband, her face heating up bright red with anger. She saw Kureno's gaze fall on her, his eyes widening in surprise. Oh, look who's just been caught with his mistress, Uo thought bitterly. Turning to Kyo, she grabbed him roughly by the face and pulled him forward, kissing him hard on the lips. Kyo seemed even more shocked than the two by the door, who's mouths were now hanging open in silence.

Uo closed her eyes, deepening the kiss. There, take that Kureno. You think you're the only one who can have an affair? Finally, Kyo pulled away, and Uo suddenly realized just how annoyed he looked. Oh come on, was it really that bad? But her thoughts were interrupted quickly by a loud slap. The woman with the shoulder length dark hair, had wacked Kyo across the face pretty damned hard, her eyes brimmed with tears.

"K... Kagura," he stammered, putting a hand to his cheek.

Oh, so that was her name. Good, now she would know what to tell the police when she murdered the damn bitch for stealing her husband.

"What the hell was that for!" Kyo continued, shouting loudly. Everyone was looking at them now. Just great.

"How could you," Kagura whispered harshly, tears streaming down her face. "I can't believe you would cheat on me, and then on the girl you're cheating on me with! I thought you were better than that Kyo-kun." She turned to at Uo, her eyes fierce. "And you. You stupid whore. You don't even deserve him."

Interesting. So now she was the whore? "Excuse me!" Uotani screamed, not realizing just how angry she was, or just how loudly she was yelling. "You have the nerve to say that to me when you're hanging all over my husband!"

Kureno was pushing his way through a crowd of onlookers now, his face creased with worry. "Arisa, you have it all wrong," he pleaded. "Come on. Hear me out."

"Oh, well excuse me for going out to dinner with my cousin," Kagura retorted. "I didn't realize that was a crime."

Cousin?

Haha, cousin!

Oh, so that was all. They were cousins. Well now, didn't she feel just a wee bit foolish. Uo could feel her face growing even hotter, this time with extreme embarrassment. But hey, on the bright side, all these lovely viewers here had gotten a free show right? Turning around on her heel, Uo ran out of the restaurant, not even stopping to look back. Sigh, and she had really wanted to eat something too.

Yuki checked looked at the clock again. Ten o'clock. He folded his hands on the table, his eyes staring down. He'd called her apartment three times already and left a message. Still no reply. Tohru was two hours late

chapter 25- day 5- unchanged feelings

That was Arisa for you. She got jealous and angry. She was the kind of person who overreacted and cried. But you know what, that didn't really bother Kureno. It was just her, and he loved her for the way she was. That was why he had married her to begin with after all, and that was why he was chasing after her right now, down the streets, past buildings and street signs. And well, he had to hand it to her. The girl was fast.

"Arisa!" he called out again. "Hold on. Please sweetheart, I just want to talk."

"Don't call me sweetheart like nothing's the matter," she shouted back. "I don't want to talk about it. I don't even want to look at you... so just leave me alone!"

Finally, Kureno found himself catching up. He reached out, his fingers grazing against her back, but she pulled away, quickening her pace. Damn. Giving himself one last burst of speed, he grasped her shoulder, and Uo let out a yelp as she was pulled back, and the two of them came crashing down to the ground. Groaning, Kureno looked up to make sure she was all right and was greeted by a hand smacking him in the face.

"I thought I told you leave me alone," she screamed. "Rape! Rape! This man is trying to rape me! Get him away!"

"Damn it Arisa!" Kureno cried out in exasperation, covering her mouth with his hand and pulling her close, but not close enough to transform. "Can't you just calm down for one minute!"

"No, I won't calm down," Arisa yelled back angrily, tears coming to her eyes as she tore his hand away from her face. "Its just not fair. This is all your fault to begin with. You never came home. You never called. You didn't even try and tell me to stay when I left last night. You just let me do whatever the hell I wanted, and you know what that tells me? It tells me that you don't care! And then, and then you show up with that woman. How was I supposed to know she was your cousin? We never even go out and then, there you are going out to dinner with her!" She began to cry, covering her face with her hands. "Its just not fair. I'm the one that loves you. I'm supposed to be your wife and you don't even act like it."

Kureno was quiet for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and resting his forehead on her shoulder. What could he say? She was right. But it wasn't because he didn't care. It had been because he did care. Because he cared so much he had made all the wrong choices and ended up hurting her. "I'm sorry," he said finally. "Please come home, Arisa. I love you."

Looking up, he found Uo watching him from above, an unreadable expression on her face. He had finally said it. This was what he had been wanting to tell her for the longest time. But he had been scared. Time had passed slowly, and the further they had drifted apart from one another over the years, the more afraid he had been to confront the demons plaguing their marriage. But all along, through all the misunderstandings and tribulations, one thing had remained the same through it all. His feeling for her had never changed. He loved her as much as he had the day they said "I do."

Finally, Uo nodded slowly, and Kureno felt his heart lift in his chest. "Okay, she said softly. "I'll come home."

Ten minutes late acceptable.

Thirty minutes late Fine. Possible traffic delay.

One hour late annoyance, yet forgivable.

Two hours late Forget it.

Three hours late Run around screaming and breaking things.

Yuki ran this list over in his head as he fumed angrily on his couch. There was simply no excuse for it. None whatsoever. There was no reason on Earth that Tohru should be three hours late. And, to make matters worse, he had called her apartment about eight times already, and she wasn't picking up her phone, neither had she even thought to call him herself, and bothered to explain at all when or if she was still coming. Couldn't she at least have the decency to make up some kind of excuse as to why she was standing him up! Was that so much to ask for! Really!

As if by magic, like heaven could hear him whining to himself like a two year old, the phone began to ring loudly on his wall. He pounced on it, pressing the receiver to his ear, his heart beating heavily in his chest. "Hello?" he asked nervously.

"Oh, my darling little brother!" A voice squealed from the other line. "It really has been too long, hasn't it."  
"Ayame," Yuki grumbled, both angry and surprised at the same time. "What do you want?"

"Well, its just that I feel hurt Yuki," Ayame pouted. "I stay up there all day in my little old office and you never once even drop in and tell me how you're doing. Have you found the woman of your dreams yet? I would so love to meet her."

"There isn't any woman," Yuki muttered. If there was, she'd be here right now with him.

Ayame chuckled, his voice low on the other end. "You're making me angry," he stated cheerfully, but Yuki couldn't help but wonder if Ayame really was pissed off at him. "You do know what happens when I get angry, don't you, little brother?"

"Give me a break," Yuki groaned, shaking his head. "I'm really not in the mood right now, all right?"

"Yuki, dear, I really am being completely serious about this."

And then a knock on his door. Was that her? Had she finally decided to show up? He began to look around in panic. Knowing Tohru, the sweet woman that he knew she was, she probably had a completely logical, acceptable reason for being so late. Ah crap! And now the food was cold, and he had accidentally knocked something over, and his hair was a mess. Running into the bathroom, he ran a hand quickly though his dark silvery strands, the sound of the door still pounding loudly outside.

He looked down and realized, the cordless phone was still clutched tightly in his right hand, Ayame shouting from the other end. "YUKI! ARE YOU STILL THERE!" Now was not the time for words. They could talk later. Maybe. Clicking the phone off, he set it down on the bathroom counter and ran back out into the living room and to the front door. Letting out a deep breath, he pulled the door open, and was annoyed to see no one there. Come on!

But, a quick glance out the door and into the hallway and he could see a broad back walking away, and a head of orange hair. Frowning, he pondered whether or not he actually wanted to call out the dumb cat's name, because, quite frankly, not only was he not the biggest fan of Kyo, but he really had been hoping it was Tohru. However, Kyo turned around on his own before Yuki could decide, and Yuki realized he had no choice but to put up with the damned annoyance after all. One thing was for sure though, this had better be _extremely_ important.

"Hey rat," Kyo called, taking a couple steps back toward him.

Yuki couldn't help but notice the large red imprint of a hand across his face, but decided not to mention it. "Please tell me you're here for a good reason and not just to irritate me," he replied flatly. "I really don't feel like fighting right now."

"Idiot," Kyo muttered. "That's not why I came." He looked around awkwardly for a moment before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. "Look, everything is just so messed up right now. Know what I mean? I'm talking about everything too, not just your life. And I thought you should know that Tohru probably isn't coming."

"What!" Yuki asked in surprise. "How would you know that?"

"Because her friend got hit by a car and she's in the hospital right now. I dunno, the blond chick told me. And you know Tohru... she wouldn't leave her friend alone there."

Yuki felt the strangest sense of guilt and relief all at the same time. Relief that she hadn't purposely stood him up, and guilt for having ever thought badly of her at all. And Kyo, why on Earth would he go to the trouble to tell him this in the first place? "Th... Thanks Kyo," he said quietly. "I appreciate you telling me."

Scratching his head, Kyo looked down self consciously at the floor. "Yeah well, I guess I just feel a little bad about before. I kind of kept trying to make your business my business when it wasn't. I just... I just don't want to see another woman cry, all right? I saw enough of that today. So... don't make her cry Yuki, or I'll come after you, got it?"

Yuki was silent for a moment, before replying. "I don't want her to cry either..." He thanked him one last time and went into his apartment, letting out a little sigh. What in the world was he going to do with himself. He had been planning to tell her about the deal tonight... but with the way things had ended up, now he wasn't feeling so confident. Well, one thing was for sure, he was going to go visit Tohru and her friend. But first, he had to go buy them some flowers.

"Is this really okay?" Kisa asked again, feeling nervous. It just didn't seem right. They were standing outside Machi's apartment with a stuffed bear holding a box of chocolates, and a tag that read, 'for Machi', 'from Yuki'. This was downright deception right here. If Machi ever found them out, she'd be devastated.

"For the last time, its fine," Hiro replied with a groan. "Haru told us we should do this, didn't he? So just hurry up and drop it off. If anything bad happens we'll just blame him."

"That's not what I meant," Kisa argued. "What about Machi's feelings? We're playing with her heart if we do this."

Sighing, Hiro took the stuffed animal from her hands and placed it by the door himself. "There, now you're free of blame," he said sarcastically. Giving the door a quick knock, he grabbed Kisa's hand and pulled her forward. "Come on, let's go," he whispered.

The two dived around the corner, peeking around at Machi's door. They watched as it swung open, and a head of long dark hair popped out, turning left and right, a confused expression on her face. Finally, she looked down and furrowed her brows, kneeling on the floor and picking up the stuffed animal and box of chocolate in her hands. Turning it over a few times, she found the tag attached to its arm and read it. A dark blush went across her face and she stood up quickly, racing back into her apartment with the gift, and slamming the door shut behind her.

"All right," Hiro smirked. "Mission accomplished."

Covering her face with her hand, Kisa let out a little groan. She had a bad feeling about this. A really bad feeling.

Tohru could feel herself stirring a little as she opened her eyes slowly. All of her muscles felt sore and uncomfortable and it took her a moment to remember where she was. Lifting herself up, she found Hana laying on the bed before her, the little heart monitor making a steady beeping sound that echoed in the quiet room.

Suddenly, she remembered Yuki and their date and she felt very wide awake, her hand flying to her mouth. Looking down at her watch, her chest felt hollow as she realized what time it was. Already past eleven. She was supposed to be there at his apartment at eight. What was she going to do? She was unbelievably late and she hadn't even called. Stumbling to her feet, she reached for the hospital phone and dialed Yuki's apartment number. She would have rather called his cell phone in case he wasn't home but it was the only number she could remember off the top of her head.

The phone rang several times, but no one answered, and eventually an answering machine came on. "Hi, this is Tohru," she said quickly, her voice shaking. "I'm really very sorry about not coming tonight. If you could just give me a call back, I'm at the hospital right now in room 112, so..." she trailed off as a knock came at the door, and she placed the receiver back on the phone. "Come in," she said quickly, thinking it was probably either Uo-chan or the nurse.

As the door opened, she was surprised to see Yuki standing in the hallway. "Hi," he said awkwardly, shifting a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

"S... Sohma-san," Tohru said quietly, feeling her heart flutter in her chest. How had he known she was here? "I'm sorry about tonight... " she stammered quickly, feeling the instant need to explain herself. "I fell asleep while I was watching over Hana-chan and..."

Yuki shook his head, and took a step into the room. "Don't worry about it," Yuki smiled. "I understand." He took a seat beside her and placed a dozen red roses into her hand. "For you," he said quietly. Then he set down a colorful array of wild flowers on the little table before Hanajime's bed, before adding. "And these are for her."

Tohru felt as though she may cry. He was just... so... wonderful... If it had been her who had been waiting for him for over three hours, she wondered if she would have been furious at him. And instead, he appeared here out of nowhere, so understanding and kind and caring. "I love you, you know that," Tohru said softly. Yuki didn't reply and instead bent down before her, capturing her lips with his own. It was a brief kiss, very light, and soft. And when he pulled away, Tohru couldn't help but wish it had lasted longer. A slight tingle of warmth still lingered on her lips from where they had touched his and she could feel herself smiling shyly, knowing full well that her cheeks were heating up as well. She loved him. That was all there was to it.

"Is it all right if I stay here with you," he asked gently. "I don't want to impose."

Tohru shook her head, gazing up at him fondly. "No, I'd like that," she replied cheerfully. "I think Hana-chan would appreciate it too."

chapter 26- chapter 5- making a girl wait

Ayame let out a huff as he gave his phone several glances. To think! Hanging up on a concerned, not to mention extraordinarily handsome older brother! Where was the respect! Respect, damn it! Was that so much to ask for! His eyes fell on a small, framed photo on his desk and he frowned, using his hand to knock it forward so that it was laying flat on its face, with only the dark brown backing visible. He had already removed all the pictures of him and Miine from his office at work, so why did he insist on having so many in his office at home?

"You left me, remember," he muttered to the backing of the picture frame. He couldn't see the picture now, but still... he knew what it looked like. She was smiling, her hair down and curled. She almost never wore it down. It looked nice that way. She had pulled her glasses up so that they were resting on top of her head, and she was wearing a dress he had designed just for her. Beautiful.

He couldn't allow what had happened to him, happen to his younger brother as well. Mission time! He was going to search for that boy and knock some sense into him! Only two days left and counting, and if his darling little brother didn't learn to take things just a wee bit more seriously, Ayame may be forced to... resort to desperate measures. Picking up his phone, he dialed his secretary's home phone number (cute younger woman with short black hair, but hardly as cute as Miine, sigh).

"Sana Takeshi's residence," he heard a cheerful voice chirp.

"Sana dear, its Ayame. I really have to ask you the biggest favor ever. Can you check the online files and see if Yuki has made any purchases lately? I'm trying to find him and he's apparently no longer home."

"Yes sir, can do," she said quickly. He could hear her fingers tapping away at the keyboard, and she made a "hmm" sound into the phone. "Well, it looks like he was just at Don's Flower Shop on 321st street not to long ago. Bought a couple bouquets of flowers. Hold on, I'll give them a call."

Ayame waited patiently on hold while she called up the shop, thinking to himself how nice it was that their company owned half the businesses in Japan. Made life quite convenient, especially for stalking purposes. Haha! And even better, was being the man that owned the company that owned half the businesses in Japan! Huff, and Yuki had the nerve not to respect him? How could he not!

"Sir?" Sana began, as her voice appeared again. "I just talked to the owner. Says that Yuki ran in and out pretty quickly. Apparently on his way to the hospital. The flowers must have been for a friend, I guess?"

"Yes, I see," Ayame agreed. So that was why he had been in such a rush to get off the phone. But still, it wasn't all completely clear to him yet. No, he'd have to go see Yuki for himself. "Can you forward me to Hatori's line?"

"He may not still be in the office," Sana reminded him. "Its almost midnight. His home phone maybe?"

"That's fine. I really do appreciate this Sana dear. You're a doll."

"Hmm, but not quite Miine, isn't that right," Sana murmured quietly. There was a quiet click, and Ayame could hear the phone begin to ring. So it looked as though Sana still had that school girl crush on him. Oh well, couldn't be helped. He _was_ drop dead sexy after all, so it was no wonder that women should fall head over heals in love with him. Besides... he had no intention of ever being in a relationship again. Miine had shown him just how painful that could be.

"Ayame," Hatori grumbled grouchily as he picked up the phone. "What are you doing calling so late?"

"How ever did you know it was me!" Ayame squealed in delight. "We must be psychically linked or something!"

"Caller ID," Hatori replied flatly. "I'm sure you've heard of it. Now what do you want. I have to get up early tomorrow."

Pouting, Ayame crossed his arms in front of him, holding the phone with his shoulder (not that Hatori could actually see him or anything.) "You're so cold!" Ayame exclaimed. "I just wanted to ask you a gigantic favor, that's all!"

"'That's all'..."

"I just need you to check those little records of yours and find out which room Yuki checked into to visit tonight. Very important for me to know! And I am his older brother, so surely you can understand."

Sighing loudly into the phone, Ayame could hear Hatori making his way into his home office and turning on his computer. "All right, just hold on a minute," he muttered. The sound of typing and clicking came and after several minutes Hatori seemed to have found an answer. "He's at the hospital on Greenwich street, east wing, second floor, room 2314. He managed to get in so late with his Sohma Access Card and by bribing a nurse. Is that all you needed to know?"

"Oh darling you're the best!" Ayame squealed. "Then I shall be on my way. Thanks so much for the help! Bye!" Hanging up the phone, Ayame grinned merrily to himself. That had been even easier than he had thought it would be. Yuki was going to listen to him if it was the last thing he did.

Yuki was smiling, as he watched Tohru, her eyes lit up in animated conversation, he couldn't help but want to smile at her. Tohru was talking about her life as a teenager in high school, spent with her two best friends Uo and Hana. He almost felt a little envious of her, to have had people she was so close to growing up. And yet, he felt happy for her at the same time. She was the kind of person who deserved friends such as these. He was glad they had been there for her, and he believed they had helped her grow into the wonderful person she was today.

His eyes fell on Tohru's friend, still laying in a state of unconsciousness on the bed. However, earlier, when Tohru had taken her hand, the girl's pale fingers had wrapped tightly around her own, giving Tohru's hand a gentle squeeze, and since then, Tohru's mood had brightened considerably.

"And there was this one time, when Hana-chan's brother put a curse on this girl I knew from school for calling Hana-chan a witch." Tohru laughed to herself in amusement, her fond gaze never leaving Saki's sleeping form. "Megumi-san is very talented in that way. But Hana-chan can see aura's and send out electric signals."

Yuki just nodded, furrowing his brows. As touching as Tohru's affection for her friend was, what the hell was she talking about! Was this kind of thing supposed to be normal! But he kept such thoughts to himself. Casting a suspicious glance at Hanajime, he practically expected her body to begin levitating over the bed. Maybe now was the time to change the subject. After all, he had decided that today he would tell her the truth. This would be his final act of love for her, even if the consequences meant that she would despise him forever.

"H.. Honda-san," Yuki broke in suddenly, looking down at his feet. The chair he was sitting in suddenly felt extraordinarily uncomfortable, and the room about ten degrees too hot. A bead of sweat ran down his face and he pursed his lips together, trying to give himself courage.

"Yes?" Tohru asked, her face perplexed at his sudden change in mood.

"There... there's something I've been meaning to tell you..." he began slowly, feeling his heart beating heavily in his chest. His palms felt sweaty, his throat dry, his stomach turning and flipping in his gut. Calm down. He needed to calm himself down. "Its just that..."

Out of nowhere, the door flew open, and a tall man burst in, his long white hair billowing behind him. "Yuki!" he cried out happily, running to the terrified looking man. "I've finally found you my darling brother!"

"Ayame!" Yuki choked in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

Ignoring him, Ayame's eyes fell on Tohru and his face lit up. Running to her, he took her hand in his own and touched his lips gently to the back of her hand. "And who may you be, fair maiden? Could it be...?" His lips curled into a mischevious smile and he clapped his hands together in delight. "could you be the woman my little Yuki wants to marry!"

"M... Marry!" Tohru sputtered in shock, obviously still not sure what to make of the stranger before her.

Yuki could feel his initial surprise immediately dissolving into anger. What the hell was wrong with his brother! "What the hell are you doing here!" He finally managed to growl through gritted teeth as he jumped to his feet.

Ayame laughed loudly, obviously not hearing a word Yuki had said as he circled Tohru, his eyes roaming over her carefully as if she were under his inspection. "Very nice," he nodded in approval. "I accept you as Yuki's wife!" He gave Yuki a pointed look. "But I bet you haven't even told her about the curse, have you." Yuki gave him a death glare and Ayame nodded. "Thought so. Now really Yuki. You can't expect to keep a secret like _that_ from your future wife!" Leaping on Tohru, and much to Yuki's horrified dismay, Ayame wrapped his arms around her and transformed into snake.

"You... you... idiot!" Yuki shouted angrily, his face growing red as he grabbed Ayame's squirming form from Tohru's body and threw him on the floor. "You get off of her!"

"S... Sohma-san," Tohru choked, her eyes wide as she looked at the snake slithering around her feet and trying to escape Yuki's stomping foot. "You...Your brother... what happened?"

Slapping his face with his hand, Yuki let out a groan and took a seat beside Tohru. How the hell was he going to explain this? He supposed if he really, really thought about it hard... then maybe... he could agree with Ayame to some extent. Tohru _should_ know about the curse. He had been meaning to tell her everything after all, yet somehow... 'everything' to him had meant the deal he had made with his brother, and not about his family's ability to transform into strange rodents. Taking a deep breath, Yuki gave his brother's wiggling form one last kick, and turned to Tohru. "This is the way our family is," Yuki began self-consciously. "I mean... we change... when we're embraced or our bodies are weakened... we transform into the twelve animals of the zodiac..."

"B... But why?" Tohru stammered with wide eyes. She was obviously disgusted. Who could blame her. Maybe she would even leave him because of this. Well, at least he wouldn't need to tell her about the deal then.

"I don't know why," Yuki replied, trying to shrug it off. "We just do..."

"Wow!" Tohru exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "So you too, Sohma-san? That explains so much." Yuki let out a surprised yelp as Tohru wrapped her arms around him and he changed into a mouse. "I knew it! That day on the boat, I remembered seeing you transform but then I thought it must have just been my imagination."

"And the best part of all!" Ayame exclaimed with a loud laugh, appearing before them in a large poof of smoke. "Is that we're totally naked when we change back." Tohru saw him and let out a tiny scream before covering her eyes with her hands and turning away.

Yuki watched the scene before him in his mouse form, putting a tiny paw to his forehead. This was crazy. Totally and completely insane. But most of all, he couldn't believe Tohru was taking this so damned well! It was amazing, really. Here they were, throwing their most shocking, not to mention abnormal secret in her face and she wasn't least bit afraid or disgusted or anything... Amazing...

Finally, after things had calmed down a bit. Tohru ended up back at Hanajime's side, rambling happily to her sleeping form about the "exciting news," she had just learned, and Ayame ended up pulling Yuki, who had finally changed back to normal, out into the hallway for a private chat. If Yuki would have had his way, such chats would never occur, but unfortunately, things don't always go the way you want them to.

"So, is she the one you pick?" Ayame asked quietly, raising a brow. They had walked to the end of the hall, more than out of hearing range, but at least his brother had the decency not to spout out horrendously loud nonsense like a maniac in a hospital. (Not that not anyone could ever say anything to them if they did start a ruckus of course, considering the fact that their family happened to own this hospital along with half the city.)

"So what if she is," Yuki muttered back. "I'm not doing this anymore. We're... we're not ready to get married. I love her too much to force her to marry me so soon... just so that you can give me a stupid raise. I don't even want it now."

Ayame watched him silently for a moment before crossing his arms in front of him and narrowing his eyes. "Do tell me what that is supposed to mean, my darling little brother."

"Exactly what it sounded like," Yuki retorted. "Forget about your freaking deal. I just don't care anymore." Who really cared if he owned some huge section of Japan's businesses if he was going to up alone and depressed in the end, and ended up making the one woman he loved miserable as well? "I_ am_ going to marry Tohru. I promise you that. But it won't be after knowing her for one week. I'm going to build a real relationship with her and we're going to come to the decision when she's ready."

"That's what you say now," Ayame murmured softly. He smiled a little at Yuki before taking a step back and leaning against the wall, his gaze drifting up to the ceiling. "You see my dear brother, we men like to wait. We're afraid of commitment. After awhile, so much time passes by that we forget that commitment is even necessary. After all, if the love of our lives are still there, then we begin to take for granted that they will always be there till the very end, and that they will continue to wait patiently until we're ready to give them our everything. However, you'll begin to wonder, what purpose is marriage when you've already been together for eight years... ten years...? You'll begin to forget why you even wanted to be married in the first place. You already live with her, sleep with her, she makes you dinner and is there waiting for you after work. You provide for her and expect her to be content. But marriage has this appeal to women, this sense of security that they feel empty without. You'll put it off, and eventually, Tohru will grow sad, and bitter, and she will hate you for it..."

"If you're referring to Miine," Yuki interrupted angrily. "That won't happen to me. I'm not going to take Tohru for granted the way you did to Miine. You knew she wanted to marry you, and you made her wait seven years. Its no wonder she left you." Yuki was stunned to feel a hand smacking him hard in the face, the blow knocking him back and making him stumble into the wall opposite his brother. He lifted the tips of his fingers to his stinging cheek as he watched his brother trembling angrily before him in surprise. His brother had actually hit him. Despite all their arguments, and misunderstandings, despite being ignored and overlooked by his brother as a child, the one thing Ayame had never done was hit him.

"And if you don't want Tohru to do the same, you won't make her wait the way I did," Ayame muttered. "Today's the fifth day. Propose to her by tomorrow or you're fired." With that, Ayame marched away, his back straight and chin high in the air.

Fired? Had his brother really just said that? But... he couldn't be serious! What would he do? Where would he go if they fired him? His everything, five years of giving his all for the sake of their family company. No more than that, his entire life had been for the Sohma Corporation. Every lesson he had learned, every moment of torment from Akito as a child, every bit of training and fake smile that he had mastered over the years. What would happen to him if they fired him now. "A... Ayame," Yuki choked finally. His brother kept walking, disappearing around the corner. "Ayame!" Yuki shouted loudly. No, it was too late now. Ayame was gone. He should have run after him, should have demanded that his brother take it back. But somehow he had known it would be useless. His brother was being completely serious and nothing was going to change his mind now.

Yuki crumpled to the floor, his back against the wall, and squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his hands over his face.

What was he going to do?

"Sohma-san?"

Looking up, Yuki found Tohru standing above him, a look of concern on her face as she kneeled down beside him.

"Is something wrong?" Tohru asked, her brows furrowed. "Did something happen with your brother?"

Yuki just shook his head, unable to hide the distress on his face. "Honda-san," he began quietly, his voice shaking despite his best efforts to sound normal. He took her hand in his own and pulled it close to him, shutting his eyes, and pressing her hand gently to his face. Then, he supposed there was nothing he could do. Her hand felt so warm... so soft... "I... I'm so sorry, Tohru..." he murmured. "I'm sorry..."

chapter 27- day 6- gossip

It took a lot to really surprise Yuki anymore. After years of the same old routine at work and at home, there just wasn't a lot there to surprise him in the first place. This week however, ever since his twenty-fifth birthday had been just full of quaint little events of astonishment. Like, never in his entire life had he imagined he'd be proposing to the love of his life after knowing her for a total of six days. Nor had he ever thought that the reason for this proposal would be so that he could keep his job. That kind of thing just wasn't supposed to happen to him.

Actually, if anything, Yuki hadn't been planning to really get married (if he ever did that is) until he was somewhere in his late thirties. That made him over ten years ahead in his little life schedule.

Yuki could practically feel the walls of his office closing in on him. This situation was practically a nightmare. He had promised himself he'd stay strong, stand by his decision to go against Ayame's wishes no matter the cost, and now here he was, a pathetic excuse for a man, about to sell his soul to the devil. But... Tohru, sweet Tohru would have to understand, right? He couldn't very well lose his job over something like this. He'd have nothing if he did, no place to turn to. He may not even be able to find another one at all if Ayame pulled the right strings. Yuki would end up homeless on the streets, drinking rainwater and eating out of trash cans. And Tohru... she would never even look at him again.

_Please Tohru_, Yuki begged silently to himself as he picked up the phone from his desk. _Please try and understand... Please forgive me. _He lifted the shiny black receiver to his ear and dialed her number, his heart rate speeding up as it began to ring.

_"Hello?"_

Yuki practically held his breath. Somehow, even on the phone, her tone managed to portray a certain innocence, an always present kindness.

He would be her ruin.

"Honda-san?" Yuki began cheerfully. "Its me..."

_"Sohma-san! How are you? You seemed so down last night. Are you all right now?" _

He would be her downfall.

"Yes, I'm fine," he reassured her, trying to sound sincere. "It was nothing really... Well you see, the reason I'm calling is, I was hoping we could get together again tonight. I never did get to make you dinner, so how about I take you out to a nice restaurant this time?" He paused. "I... I have something important to ask you too..."

And she would hate him for it.

_"That sounds wonderful. I'd love to go. I don't work today, so how about you give me a call when you're done? I'm going to stop by the hospital and check on Hana-chan."_

"All right, I'll talk to you later then," Yuki agreed. "Bye." Putting the phone back, he felt a large rush of air escape his lungs and he realized his hands were shaking. He was nervous. Well, of course he was. He was about to ask her to marry him, for crying out loud. And what if... she said no?

A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see Kagura step into his office. She gave him a weak smile, but her eyes were red and puffy, as if she had spent the entire night crying. "These are the total sales for this week," she explained, setting down a thick manila colored folder on his desk. "Ayame wants you to send them up to Shigure when you're finished."

"Sure, no problem," Yuki said quickly. But, what he really wanted to know was what was wrong with her. Come to think of it, he had never really apologized for leaving her at that diner a couple days ago. But somehow, he highly doubted that was the reason for her current distress. Which meant, it had to do with Kyo. Figures. "Is something wrong, Kagura?" he asked finally, just as she turning to the door to leave.

She glanced back at him, and smiled once more. "Of course not, why do you ask?"

"Well... its just that... you look kind of eh... troubled..." Yuki knew there was probably a better way to ask this kind of thing but if there was, he didn't have any idea what it was. Because, really, what did he know. He didn't have a single clue how to make a friend or family member confide in him because no one had ever really confided him in before.

Pursing her lips together, Kagura took a few steps closer to Yuki's desk before pausing again and keeping her gaze to the carpeted floor. "I guess, I'm just a little angry with myself," she replied finally. "I told Kyo I didn't want him anymore... because... it just seemed easier that way. He had a new girlfriend and... he doesn't love me... so why should I have to pretend he does? But then, I saw him with this woman, and she was so pretty and full of life, and when they kissed... I completely lost it. She turned out to be Kureno's wife though...

Kagura began to laugh a little, and she covered her mouth with a hand. "Can you believe it? That woman ended up calling my house and apologizing that night, since she's back with her husband now. But I... I'm still all alone. And Kyo, I thought that I could live without him... but as soon as I see him with someone else, I snap. I just... I just don't know what to do."

"Have you tried talking to him?" Yuki asked doubtfully. Maybe he wasn't the best person for Kagura to be talking to about this after all. What with his own screwed up love life, and the fact that he had about as much clue as what to do as she did, maybe she needed someone more like... a psychiatrist. Come to think of it, he could probably use one too while they were at it.

"I know, I know," Kagura sighed. "Maybe I should try and talk to him about it. I don't know. I'm just... tired... Its exhausting being so uncertain and angry and jealous all the time. If... If I could just know if he really loved me though... then maybe..." Breaking off from her sentence, Kagura shook her head to herself. "No, I doubt it. I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time. I better get going."

"Don't worry about it," Yuki reassured her. His lips curled into a dry smile and he put a hand on his forehead. "I'm going to be a bit busy this week, but maybe this weekend I'll make up for that horrid dinner we had the other night and get you cup of coffee." He paused, before adding. "After I get married that is."

Kagura's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in surprise. "No way!"

The sun was streaming in through the windows, casting bright rays into the room and over the bed. The heart monitor was beeping steadily, a thin green line moving up and down like waves over the ocean. Hanajime lay still and silent in the white hospital bed.

A loud crash sounded on the other side of the room and her hand twitched.

A loud shout, and her eyelids fluttered.

Letting out a groan, Hanajime opened her eyes completely, feeling immediately blinded by the harsh, bright morning light. Squinting, she tried to pull herself into sitting position and felt a sharp tug on her arm. Ouch. She looked down and found an IV pulling at her skin. Her right arm was completely wrapped in white bandages, and the other was black and blue with bruises. Her one leg was in a cast as well, and laying on a pillow. Everything hurt.

Ah yes, the accident. She remembered now. How foolish of her. And she had no one to blame but herself. Running into the street like a maniac was bound to get anyone killed. But she had been blinded by her jealousy of Yuki. She had felt like he was taking away one of her only true friends and she hated him for it, had hated Tohru for it. How could her friend abandon her for some _man_? A man for crying out loud. The blemishes on the earth. The living viruses of the planet.

But it wasn't her fault. Of course it wasn't Tohru's fault at all, and she knew that. Tohru had a right to happiness, and Yuki Sohma seemed to make her happy. As her friend, Hana should have realized that, but she had been selfish. She had wanted Tohru all for herself. A silly dream. People fell in love, and they moved on. That was just the way it was. The way it had been for centuries.

The crash sounded again, and Hanajime narrowed her eyes in annoyance. Turning her head to the side, she found that the source was coming from the other side of a thick white curtain dividing the room. It would seem that her room mate had little respect for those trying to get a good night's sleep. She could hear the muffled voices of patient and nurse, bickering back and forth between one another and Hanajime could feel her annoyance growing.

Wrapping her hand around the metal pole that held the IV bag, dripping white liquid down a white tube, Hanajime used it to hoist herself up onto her one good foot. She ignored the pain that shot through her sore muscles, and began to limp forward, rolling the metal pole forward on its four wheels, her injured foot in the cast dragging behind her. She didn't care if it killed her, she was going to electrocute the both of them for making so much noise when she was as injured as she was.

Hanajime pulled up to the edge of the curtain, pulling it back a little with one hand and peeking to the other side of the room. A small gasp escaped her lips and she put a hand to her mouth to keep anyone from hearing. A tall man stood on the other side, struggling with the nurse who was trying to give him a shot. She dove forward, trying to hold down his arm while her other hand held fast to a long needle.

"For crying out loud," she shouted angrily. "You're worse than a child. Just hold still before I accidentally stab you in the eye!"

"I told you I don't need it," the man argued, pulling away again. Finally, the door flew open and a familiar head of red hair popped in, his eyes furrowed in concern. What in the world was that strange Kyo fellow doing here. However, the man immediately stood still after this, and allowed the nurse to do her job and give him the shot.

"Master, is everything all right?" Kyo asked quickly, his voice filled with concern. "I heard about the accident while you were training. They told me you were hurt."

"Just a few bruises," Kazuma reassured him. He smiled fondly at the boy he had raised, and took a seat while the nurse scurried away, grumbling to herself. Laughing a little, he gave Kyo a pat on the back. "I didn't mean to worry you."

Kyo shook his head quickly. "So what kind of training were you doing?" he asked excitedly. "Were you learning some kind of new technique? Could you show it to me?"

Watching from behind the curtain, Hanajime could feel her heart pounding heavily in her chest. Who was this man? He was so... so... beautiful. He was older, so very mature, and he had this air about him that made him seem so calm and in control. She wanted to meet him. She wanted to talk to him...

Words can be misleading. Kind of like how almost everything else in the world can be misleading as well. Just because someone finds gifts in front of their door, with an attached letter that reads, and this is a direct quote mind you, "To Machi, From Yuki," And just because on the back of that little piece of paper, it happened to read, "I want to make you my wife," didn't mean that Yuki literally wanted to make Machi his wife.

For all she knew, wife could mean 'slave' in another language. And that would definitely make a whole lot more sense than Yuki suddenly declaring that he wanted to make her his wife. However "I want to make you my slave" sounded much more realistic. And considering the fact that she already almost felt like a slave working at the Sohma Corporation, she would have to say he wasn't too far away from that goal.

And to make matters worse, these horrid women had been gossiping nonstop about Yuki's apparent marriage proposal that he was going to make today. Not that she had any clue how they may have heard this, but at the same time, Machi couldn't help but wonder if it was true.

"I heard he's going to ask her tonight!"

"He's even leaving work early today to buy the engagement ring."

"You mean he doesn't have it yet?"

"Guess not?"

"Lucky bitch."

"Does anyone know who it is?"

"No clue, but they say you'd never suspect who."

"He's been keeping quiet about who he picked on purpose."

"I refuse to believe it!"

"But what about the girl, does she even know that he picked her?"

"Of course she probably knows. Don't be an idiot."

"Ugh, it makes me so mad. He didn't even give a single one of us a chance!"

"If I knew who she was I'd probably kill her."

Shaking her head quickly, Machi turned to her computer and tried to block out the voices streaming all around her. Didn't these woman have anything better to do? And the fact that the woman they might be gossiping about was her, made Machi feel even more uncomfortable. To think, was Yuki Sohma really going to propose to her tonight? She didn't want to believe it, but it seemed like it may be true.

And... maybe if he did, she wouldn't say no. Maybe... being with him wouldn't be so bad after all.

She could feel her face heat up as she looked at the stuffed toy he had left outside her door sitting next to her computer. Lifting a hand, she ran the tips of her fingers over the bear's soft fur and found herself smiling. Yuki Sohma was going to propose to her.

chapter 28- day 6- moral dilemma

"Yes. Thank you... and I'm glad... Bye..."

Smiling triumphantly to himself, Haru pressed the off button to his phone with his thumb before setting it back down on the desk. Stretching his arms behind him, he leaned back comfortably in his black and white reclining chair and let out a yawn. Excellent. Really, Yuki was lucky that his cousin even cared so much about him in the first place to be doing all this for him. A little appreciation, though unnecessary, what with Haru being the benevolent soul that he was, would have still been kind of nice. But, sigh, that was the way things went. And surely, when everything had fallen into place, and Yuki found himself with both a wife and a new promotion, he would turn to his ever faithful cousin and friend and realize who had been there for him all along.

Ah, a bit of a digression from the matters at hand. Well, let's see then. After a quick call to Kisa, she had informed him that as planned, she and Hiro had successfully delivered the gift to Machi and that her reaction had been most acceptable. Now, all that was left for him to do was make it a bit more final.

Haru leaned forward a bit, pressing the the button on his intercom and hovering his mouth over the microphone. "Will Machi from floor 4, please report to my office, 416, immediately. Machi from floor 4, report to my office immediately." There we go. That ought to do it.

Several minutes passed, and finally, a knock came at the door. Haru couldn't help but smile a little to himself as she opened the door and peeked in, her eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. "Is there something you need?" she asked flatly, refusing to enter his office completely.

"Please," Haru interrupted, gesturing toward the chairs before his desk. "There's no reason for us to talk with you standing in the doorway like that. Won't you have a seat?"

Letting out a sigh, Machi stepped in and sat down in the chair closest to her, crossing her arms protectively in front of her. She remained silent, her eyes never leaving his own, as if she were face-to-face with some sort of wild beast that would snap and bite her head off at any given moment. He wondered if she noticed that he was currently in his more darker persona.

"Now, I know we've had our differences," Haru began calmly. "And I do apologize for the way I may have spoken to you the other day. However, I do hope that you have thought about what I've said."

Machi pursed her lips together, before slowly nodding. Hmm, so she had been thinking about it... Good. "I guess... he likes me," she murmured uncertainly. "He left me a present at my apartment. I... I don't know why... So I guess... its because he likes me."

"A gift! Is that so?" Haru asked enthusiastically, trying his best to sound sincere. "To think, Yuki Sohma leaving someone a gift at their apartment. How very romantic! Don't you think?"

"I... I suppose," she muttered, finally adverting her gaze to the floor.

First the bait, then the bite, and now, all Haru had to do was reel her in. "Perhaps you should talk to him," Haru suggested, smiling warmly at her. "Don't you think? You don't have to thank him for the gift or anything. That will only make him even more shy than he already is. He wouldn't want that. Just say... "hi"... to him. Perhaps, offer to have lunch with him even. I think he'd like that a lot."

"I...did..." she said quietly. "I did that already. I...offered to have lunch with him. He said he wanted to... but... he's leaving early today." Haru noted how red and flushed Machi's face was becoming as she spoke, and Haru furrowed his brows in wonder. Was there something she knew that he didn't? "He... Yuki Sohma... He's going to buy an engagement ring so he can propose to someone tonight."

Haru's jaw dropped open, and he sat silent, unable to respond. An... an engagement ring! But how? When! That meant... that meant that Yuki had already found somebody. This was bad... This was really bad. So perhaps that was why Yuki had been so opposed to his setting him up with Machi. Yuki already had a wife in mind. So then Machi... poor Machi... now she had the wrong idea. She must be under the impression that the one he was going to propose to was herself. The card, Haru had left for her had said "I want you to be my wife." A bit of a bold statement, but Haru had known it would have a strong effect on her. And now...

"So... I guess that's why..." Machi continued, a small smile coming to her face. An actual, real life smile. Haru was quite certain he had never seen anything even remotely close to one on her since she had started working for them a couple years ago. "I guess that's why I feel I should be thanking you."

_No, don't thank me! You've got it all wrong!_

"And when he proposes tonight... I'll try to look surprised."

Yuki took a quick glance at his watch as he raced out of the building to the car waiting for him on the street. He had about five hours before he had to meet Tohru which seemed like a lot of time, but who knew how long something like picking out an engagement ring would take. Pulling the door open, Yuki climbed into the back seat, and Momiji glanced back at him, giving him a bright smile.

"You're off a little early," he observed cheerfully. "So where to? Some lunch maybe?"

"No, that's all right," Yuki replied, shaking his head. "I don't really have much of an appetite right now. I need to go to the jeweler's on the next street." His stomach was actually killing him right now. Too much stress and coffee and not enough food was never a good combination.

Momiji made a goofy grin and laughed a little to himself in amusement. "A little gift for Tohru, maybe?"

"More than a little gift," Yuki muttered. "An engagement ring..."

The grin quickly faded from Momiji's face and he uttered a quiet "oh." What the heck was with the 'oh,' Yuki wondered in annoyance, furrowing his brows. As if he didn't know. "You know, Yuki," Momiji began quietly, as he started the engine. "I really like Tohru."

"Are you trying to imply I don't?"

Momiji ignored him and continued, pulling the car from the side of the road and into the street. "Well... Its just that, I believed that you really loved her... I didn't think you would propose to her just because of the deal you made with your brother. I... was so sure you wouldn't... Because if you love her, it wouldn't be right to do something like that to her."

As his cousin spoke, hot tears had begun to form in Yuki's eyes, and he began to angrily wipe them away with the back of his hand. "Don't you think I know that," Yuki choked, trying to calm himself down. However, his body and mind had apparently decided to become two completely separately functioning devices, and no matter how much his mind told the tears to stop, his eyes wouldn't listen.. Funny how a grown man can cry. He wondered when the last time he had cried was. Well, whenever it had been, it was a long time ago, that was for sure.

"Hey, Yuki, I'm sorry," Momiji said quickly, a look of panic covering his face instantly. "I didn't mean it like that. I just... I'm sorry."

Why. Why did everyone have to be so judgmental? Yes, he knew what he should do. He should tell the world to go screw itself and then run away with Tohru. He should sacrifice everything in the name of love, just like the hero in a novel or movie. But damn it, he wasn't that strong of a person. No matter what anyone said, he wasn't good enough or confident enough to do that. Ayame threatens his job and he comes crawling back on his hands and knees. That was the kind of person he was.

Moral dilemmas. It was so easy for someone to say they'd risk their life to save someone in need. It was easy for them to say that if they were starving and dying they'd give up their last piece of bread to another. But imagine if they were really in that situation? Would they really do it? People can easily say what they _would_ do, because they're response will always be that which is morally accepted in society, and sure, theoretically, it probably sounds a lot easier than it really is. And because they say what they would do, they now feel that they have the right to judge him for not choosing that path which is "right."

It was easy for someone to tell him that his job wasn't important. If he loved Tohru, then nothing else should matter right?

If he loved her, nothing else should matter.

If he loved her...

Letting out a sigh, Yuki pressed his fingertips over his now dry eyes. They were probably still a little red but that would go away eventually. It was easy for someone else to tell him what the right thing for him to do would be. As if he didn't already know himself. However, he'd already reached the point of no return by now. And right now, he had a ring to buy.

"Well, we're here," Momiji said uncertainly as he pulled into the parking lot. "You okay, now?"

Yuki nodded, and opened the door, climbing out of the car. "You coming?" he asked, glancing back over his shoulder.

Smiling, Momiji climbed out of the car as well. "Sure, if you want me to."

"I'll need some help. I want to find the most beautiful ring in the store."

"I suppose if you're going to propose, you have to do it in style," Momiji agreed.

"No, that's not why," Yuki replied gently. "Its because I love her."

It felt nice taking a day off from work once in awhile. Tohru had called off today so that she could visit her friend Hanajime and she had to admit, it was kind of fun, like having a snow day at school. Shifting the bag of chocolate and other assorted sweets in her purse, she hurried down the hallway to her friends room, positive that the smell of Hana's favorite chocolate covered cherries would revive her instantly. To her surprise, she found that the door was already open and she peeked inside.

Hanajime was sitting on her bed, her gaze staring toward the thick curtain dividing the room from another patient. Hana-chan! She was awake! "Hana-chan!" Tohru squealed, running into the room and plopping herself onto the mattress. "I'm so happy you're okay!" she said cheerfully.

"Shh," Hana said quickly, putting a finger to her lips. A strange, almost dreamy expression was on her face. "I'm listening," she added softly.

Furrowing her brows, Tohru tried to listen as well, wondering what Hanajime could possibly hear that she couldn't. Finally, she realized that there were voices coming from the other side of the curtain. Climbing to her feet, Tohru went to the curtain and peeked to the other side. Oh! It was Kyo! She pulled the curtain back a little, making Hanajime shriek in protest. "Kyo-san, what are you doing here?"

"T... Tohru?" Kyo said in surprise. "I was just visiting my master... Ugh, I mean Kazuma Sohma."

Clapping her hands together, Tohru nodded enthusiastically. "I think Sohma-san told me about that. Didn't he train you guys when you were young."

"That's right," Kazuma replied from the bed. "I don't believe I've met you before though. And your name is?"

"Tohru Honda," she replied with a smile. "I'm visiting my friend Hana-chan. I didn't realize she had a roommate."

"She's here too?" Kyo asked, shaking his head in amazement. "Huh. Small world, isn't it."

As Kazuma and Kyo came to their side of the room, Tohru noticed for the first time just how flustered her friend, Saki looked. What in the world was the matter? Surely she remembered Kyo.

"So... so... your name is Kazuma-san?" Hanajime asked finally, her face flushed as she looked up at the two men as they came closer. "Its... a nice name."

"Ah, thank you?"

Tohru shook her head in amazement as she watched her. If she didn't know any better, she'd almost think Hanajime had a crush on Kyo and Yuki's martial arts master. But he had to be almost twenty years older than them. Sure, he was attractive, as it seemed every Sohma was gifted with beauty. And... up until about five minutes ago, hadn't Hana-chan completely and totally despised all men?

"You look like you were through quite an ordeal," Kazuma commented, noting the numerous bandages and bruises covering Hanajime's body.

"I... I was in an accident," she replied softly, her face growing even redder. "I... I'm fine now. And you? Were you hurt?"

"Well, a little, I guess," Kazuma chuckled. "I was training a little too rough I suppose. Its fun though. I enjoy myself most when I'm straining my body to its limits. It gives you areal sense of power and control."

Tohru watched as Hana just nodded quickly, hanging on his every word. Amazing. To think, her friend had finally fallen in love. Now maybe she would be able to understand the way she felt about Yuki, and not have to feel so lonely. All Tohru wanted was for her friend to be happy. And speaking of which, she knew one item in particular that would do just the thing. "Oh, Hana-chan," Tohru piped in. "I brought your favorite chocolates."

"Why, thank you Tohru-kun," Hanajime said calmly, placing a hand to her cheek. "But I'm afraid I no longer eat sweets. They'll make me gain weight, and they're bad for my skin as well."

"You... are giving up chocolate?" Tohru asked incredulously, her eyes wide. Was she serious! This from a woman who consumed approximately four pounds of sugar and saturated fat a day? "Since when?"

"Why, since today, of course," Hanajime replied, laughing lightly to herself. "Don't you agree, Kazuma-san?"

"Ah, I suppose," Kazuma answered doubtfully.

So, it appeared, the accident had given her dear friend brain damage as well. First Hana-chan falls in love, and now giving up chocolate of all things! And Tohru couldn't think of anything else to associate such changes with except the accident. That is, of course, unless there really was just something about this Kazuma Sohma that made Hanajime act this way. Wow. It was kind of cute.

chapter 26- day 6- proposal

Hatsuharu... was very confused. Very.

Now, if his understanding was correct, then Yuki was supposed to propose to someone tonight. Right. Got it. But now, that person couldn't be Machi, could it? Had Yuki really had feelings for her all along? Had the two of them been together all this time without anyone knowing?

No. Of course not.

So that meant it had to be someone else? But who? When? How? Why? And every other question word he could think of at the moment that could pertain to his situation. Machi had left his office only a few hours earlier, stars in her eyes, or at least, the most strange kind of glittering nonsense that she was capable of pulling off with that dull and indifferent personality of hers. Glancing down at his watch, Haru noted that the afternoon shift would be ending in about a half hour. That meant everyone would be heading off to their little homes, Machi included. Whatever it was that was going on needed to be straightened out before then before someone got hurt.

Picking up his phone, Haru dialed Yuki's apartment phone number, strumming his fingers nervously on his desk. When an answering machine picked up, he hung up the phone impatiently and let out a sigh. All right then, maybe Yuki's cell phone would be a good way to reach him. Haru opened his desk and began to sift through a few notebooks and pens till he pulled out a small white phonebook. Flipping through it, he found the number for Yuki's cell and impatiently dialed it. It rang several times, and Haru could feel his anxiety growing with each passing second.

"_Hello?"_

"Yuki!" Haru exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief. Good. Now he could find out what was going on. "I needed to talk to you about something."

_"Haru? Is something wrong?"_

"Its just that..." Hatsuharu began uncertainly, "rumor around the office is that you're proposing to someone today. I have to know... is it Machi?"

_"Machi? What in the world are you talking about?"_

So it wasn't. Machi was going to have her heart broken then. "The one you're proposing to... its not Machi?"

"_Of course not," _Yuki retorted on the other end. _"Why would I propose to her, anyway? Sigh, look, I'm on my way to Honda-san's house right now, so I can't talk for long."_

"No. I understand," Haru said quickly. "I'm sorry for bothering you. Bye."

Eek.

What a little mess Haru had made for himself. Now he was going to have to break the news to Machi before she left herself open for a world of disappointment, all, might he add, his fault as well. Climbing to his feet, Haru brushed off his long black coat and let out large breath of air. Okay, ready to go.

Haru headed out of his office, passing a few employees at their work stations, some nodding and smiling at him as he went by, till he had reached Machi's desk at the other end of the floor.

She looked up at him, her expression blank of all emotion. "Yes?" Machi asked, a bored tone in her voice.

Narrowing his eyes, Haru couldn't help but feel annoyed. Here he was, concerned about her feelings, and she still had the nerve to treat him with that cold, ice bitch attitude of hers.

"Well, don't just stand there with that clueless look on your face," Machi muttered, looking back down at her desk, as if she had already lost interest in the conversation that had yet to begin. "If you don't have anything important to say, I have some work to finish up before I head home."

Careful, sweetheart. He wasn't the type of person you wanted to make mad. "I just thought you should know," Haru hissed under his breath, feeling his annoyance growing. "That you're wrong about Yuki wanting to propose to you." Damn it. He was sick of all these damned misunderstandings. All he had wanted to do was help Yuki out. That's all. And instead of gratitude, Yuki acted as though Haru had been stupid for interfering to begin with. And the thing that pissed Haru off even more was the fact that Yuki was right. Haru had been stupid for interfering. Look where it had gotten him. It just pissed him off so much! It made him so damned angry. He hated himself for it. Hated everything for it. Damn it! Why didn't anything ever go the way it was supposed to! Goddamn it!  
Machi froze, her eyes slowly roaming back up to his face. "What did you just say?"

"You're not the one," Haru replied with a smile. Her lips parted to speak, but no words came out. Oh dear, was it still not clear enough for her? Did she still not understand? "Hey now. Why the long face, darling? Could it be... are we a bit disappointed that Yuki didn't choose you?" He knew he was being cruel. Black Haru. Isn't that what they called him when he became like this? Yeah, something like that. His smile grew wider. She looked devastated even.

"But... he sent me this," Machi stammered suddenly, pointing fiercely at the stuffed toy by her computer, her hand shaking. "The card, it said he wanted to marry me. That's what it said. I'll show it to you."

"Hmm, is that so?" Haru chuckled to himself in amusement. "Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. Guess you'll never know now. You probably won't even be invited to the wedding. When he proposes to the girl he did pick, that is."  
"I don't believe you," Machi finally spat angrily, her voice rising as she stood up from her desk, and slammed her hands down on her desk. "I understand him. No one else knows him the way I do. No one else sees him the way I do. No one else loves him the way I do!"

"Love?" Haru laughed. "You have the nerve to call that love? What could a person like you possibly know about something like that?" People were staring now. He didn't care. Let them gossip. Give them something to talk about over dinner with their families. "If it weren't for me, you probably wouldn't even know he existed."

"That's not true," Machi whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. "Deep down... I've always..." She trailed off. Suddenly, Haru didn't feel so angry anymore. As a matter of fact, he felt terrible. Somehow, he had made her cry. Black Haru had made this woman cry. "Being close to someone," she began softly, "being able to hold them close, and feel their heart beating next to yours. It's not the only kind of love there is. Sometimes, watching over someone from far away as they live their lives without you, can be a different kind of love too."

Haru fell silent. What was he doing? He had meant to save her from grief but he had only succeeded in creating more. There had to be a way he could make it up to her. Bending down over her desk, he jotted down Yuki's address on a piece of paper and handed it to her. "If that's how you really feel," Haru said gently. "Then you should tell him."

It had already grown rather late in the day, and with the knowledge that Yuki was on his way to her apartment, Tohru's excitement was building by the second. She sat comfortably on the sofa, Kyoko laying in her lap while she gently stroked the puppy's soft fur. "He'll be here any minute," Tohru murmured more to herself than Kyoko. "I wonder what it was he wanted to ask me." Kyoko perked her head up, her big brown eyes gazing up at Tohru. "What's the matter now?" she asked, laughing a little in amusement. "Do you miss Hana-chan maybe? Don't worry. She's so much better now. I just saw her a little over an hour ago and they say she'll be coming home tomorrow morning..."

A knock came at the door and Tohru jumped. Surprised, Kyoko leapt from her lap onto the couch and looked up at her. "That must be him," Tohru chuckled, shaking her head. She hadn't been expecting him quite this soon and it had caught her a bit off guard. "Coming," she called, making her way to the door. She pulled it open and found herself greeted with a bouquet of brightly colored flowers. "You're going to spoil me," Tohru laughed, taking the flowers into her arms and carrying them into the apartment. "If you keep this up I'll be able to open up a flower shop."

"I guess I did go a little overboard," Yuki grinned as he stepped inside. Tohru noticed him make a face at all the flowers he had bought for her over the week, lined up on her window sill. "Looks like you're running out of room too."  
"They do make the place look beautiful though, don't they?" Tohru mused, placing the flowers in a glass vase that she had filled with water. "Thank you so much."

She turned to look at Yuki in surprise as he took her hand and pulled her closer, placing a small kiss on her cheek. "You're the one that makes a home beautiful," he murmured. "Not the flowers."

Tohru could feel her face heating up a dark crimson. He really was like a prince at times, wasn't he. "I... I guess we better get going," she stammered, willing her face to go back to normal. It still amazed her, the kind of affect he had on her. What could she say? She was crazy about him.

Hey, that's right. Didn't he have something he wanted to ask her?

"Sohma-san?" Tohru piped in quickly, desperately wanting to change the subject. "Did... didn't you have something to ask me?"

Yuki looked away for a moment, and suddenly Tohru became aware that his hand was trembling ever so slightly. Was he nervous about something? "I suppose I did." Yuki replied, his gaze falling to the ground. "More of a hypothetical question than anything else."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... let's just imagine, as I said, hypothetically of course," Yuki began nervously. "That I were to ask you to marry me... " He broke off, his hand shaking even more in her own. "What... what would you say?"

Hmmm. Somehow, Yuki had just said a very intense, very strange thing that was going to take Tohru several moments to comprehend. Lets see. _"Let's just imagine." _She got that part pretty well. _"Hypothetically of course." _Okay, she could work with that. _"That I were to ask you to marry me..." _Now this was the part that threw her off. Certainly her ears were working correctly, because they had done a pretty good job for her all morning. So therefore... that meant... that Yuki was saying...

"Ah, Honda-san?"

So now, this was going to require an answer that, well, if this was all just in theory, an answer that really didn't matter. Or maybe it did. How long had she known him? Six days? Funny, it felt like longer than that. Of course, this was a question with no real answer so what she thought didn't matter. However, if this were a real question, like him really proposing to her. Then she would... she would probably... say yes. Because... she loved him after all... and the thought of being able to be with him for the rest of her life filled her with an indescribable happiness that she couldn't quite put into words.

"Honda-san!"

He sounded concerned now. Tohru wondered why. And then, she realized she was crying. Tears were flowing down her face uncontrollably. She wiped at them to no avail, wondering to herself where she had put that box of tissues she had bought earlier. "If... If you were to ask me that..." she replied softly. "I'd say yes." A sob escaped her throat and she turned around, unable to face him anymore. Her heart was filled with emotions that she didn't understand. She didn't even know why she was crying. "I'd definitely say yes, Yuki-kun."

She could feel Yuki placing his hands on her shoulders and pressing his lips against her own. It made her feel safe somehow. Closing her eyes, she placed her hands over his face, deepening the kiss. She felt as he wiped at her damp cheek with a thumb, drying away her tears. His fingers running through her hair. The smell of his cologne. Her fingertips tracing over his cheek. "Then I'm asking you," Yuki whispered into her lips. "I'm asking you to marry me."

Yuki felt ecstatic. He felt filled with an energy that he had never felt before. It drove him forward, propelled him to keep going. Tohru had said yes. The love of his life wanted to marry him. It made him feel good, wonderful, great. Nothing in the world could compare to the way he felt right now. After they had left her apartment, they had headed toward the restaurant he had promised to take her to earlier. But truthfully, Yuki doubted he had much of an appetite anymore. Food? Who needed it. Who cared. He was going to get married! And not just married to anyone, mind you! But to Tohru Honda! He wanted to shout it out to the world. He wanted to tell all his friends, if he had any of course, family then, co-workers even. Didn't matter.

"She's going to marry me," Yuki said proudly to Momiji in the driver's seat, unaware of the fact that he had already informed his cousin about it seven times already.

"Is that so?" Momiji replied politely once again. "That's wonderful."  
Tohru was laughing to herself beside him, squeezing his hand tightly enough to kill most small animals. He wasn't complaining. For all he knew, he was doing the same to her. "I think he knows now," Tohru teased.

"Knows what?" Yuki asked absently, his mind still reeling from his accepted marriage proposal. Oh that's right! He had to tell people about it! He had to brag! "Guess what Momiji," Yuki beamed. "Honda-san and I are going to get married."

"Is that so?" Momiji nodded once more. "That's wonderful."  
Yuki smiled happily, glancing over at Tohru who was admiring the engagement ring he had placed on her finger. "Do you like it?" he asked, hopefully. Maybe the diamond was too big? Too small? The size not right? The style to flashy? To plain?

"Its beautiful," Tohru murmured in amazement, shaking her head. "I can't believe how beautiful it is. I can only imagine how much something like this would cost." She turned toward him and elbowed him teasingly in the arm. "You should have just gone ahead and bought that tropical island you wanted. I'm sure they were the same price."

"If you wanted a tropical island, I'd buy you that as well," Yuki mused, kissing the top of her hand. "But, you know... I'm not that rich. It would have to be a really, really, really small island. Like about the size of this car."

"How perfect," Tohru laughed. "Just big enough for the two of us then."

"I guess you're right!"

chapter 30- day 6- laughter

Yuki knew he wasn't thinking straight. If he had, he would have remembered that not only did he need to propose to Tohru but then, he had to somehow get her to agree to a wedding the very next night. However, such thoughts did not occur to him, the happy bumbling fool that he was. And dinner at the restaurant he had selected went by excellent. They engaged in light, cheerful conversation, or in other words, exchanged goofy words and laughed about things that weren't even funny. Nothing seemed like it could break the absolutely cheerful mood they were both in.

That is, until Tohru happened to mention ever so merrily, "I'd love to be married sometime by Christmas and the New Year. Or perhaps a wedding in the summer is more traditional? What do you think Yuki-kun?"

Yuki nearly choked on his glass of wine. That's right. He had made it over one hurdle and then completely forgotten about the second one. They didn't have the luxury of picking a fitting season or holiday to be married. They had to do it by tomorrow night. How on earth could he explain that one?

"Is something wrong Yuki-kun?"

Great. Now she was concerned. This was bad. Yuki shook his head quickly, setting the glass down and clearing his throat. "Why.. .Why wait?" he asked, trying to smile brightly at her. This would never work. She'd never fall for it. "I... I love you. And you love me right? So why wait?" he laughed a little, as if thinking of a joke. "Why, we could even get married tomorrow if we wanted to?"

Tohru began to laugh with him, shaking her head in amusement. "That would be absolutely crazy," she agreed. "But its a fun idea."

Putting a hand to his chin, Yuki tried to look as though he were suddenly struck with inspiration and widened his eyes. "It does seem crazy," he said slowly. "But why not? We should just go ahead and do it. Let's get married tomorrow."

Tohru own laughter began to fade and she furrowed her brows in confusion. "You're not serious, are you, Yuki-kun? We haven't even done any planning, or sent out invitations or found a dress or rings or a chapel or anything?"

"Just let me take care of all that," Yuki added quickly. "Don't worry about it. All you have to do is say you'll do it and I can have a wedding for us ready by tomorrow night, no problem." Nope, she wasn't buying it. And who could blame her. He knew how crazy he sounded but he was getting desperate. He needed her to agree to this. Otherwise, everything they had been through up until now would have been for nothing.

Finally, Tohru nodded, and she smiled again. "Sure Yuki-kun. If that's what you want, I'd be happy to have our wedding tomorrow."

Unbelievable.

And now he felt bad.

The rest of the night was Yuki trying to act cheerful even though really felt like shooting himself in the head. His only hope was that Tohru wouldn't notice his change in mood. Distractedly, Yuki went to grab at the bottle of wine, planning to down the entire thing in one gulp and turn everything into a pleasant pink and fuzzy haze. Nothing like drinking away your troubles. However, what with the glass and a half that he had already drunk, combined with his low tolerance for alcohol in the first place, Yuki found his motor skills not quite up to par. The bottle tipped forward out of his grasp, spilling dark red liquid over the table and over his clothes.

Excellent. A perfect way to end a perfect night. He began to laugh.

"Oh my god, Yuki!" Tohru cried out, jumping up from her seat and grabbing at her napkin. "Are you all right?" She began to dab it at his shirt and made a face when she realized it was only making matters worse.

"Don't worry about it," Yuki said with a wave of his hand. What did he care. A little wine staining his clothes was nothing compared to what he was doing to Tohru.

Tohru nodded, though she didn't look entirely convinced. "We should probably head back anyway," she began, gesturing toward her empty plate. "We're going to have a busy day tomorrow to get ready for."

The ride home wasn't really awkward so much as there wasn't really anything to say. Tohru held his hand and fell asleep on his shoulder while he looked out the window and thought about what a terrible person he was. She stirred a little in her sleep, and mumbled quietly to herself. "Did you say something?" he asked her gently.

She lifted her head slightly, looking at him through heavily lidded eyes. "I fell asleep, didn't I?" She yawned a little and pulled herself up. "I haven't gotten much sleep lately. What with Hana-chan in the hospital and all. I just don't like it at home. It feels lonely... I guess it makes me nervous." She looked up at him again. "Do you mind if I stay with you at your place for awhile? I can do your laundry for you if you'd like, and help get that stain out of your shirt. I don't want to go home just yet."

Yuki kissed the top of her forehead. "Of course you can stay. We'll rent a movie or something to watch."

Machi wished she knew why she was here. She had no idea why she was doing this. She was actually going to Yuki Sohma's apartment. What would she say when she got there? What would she do? She didn't know anything and yet she was still here, standing in his apartment building, on her way up to his room, no scratch that, the entire floor that he owned to himself.

Letting out a ragged breath, she put a hand to her chest, and slowly breathed in and out. The elevator made a tiny beeping sound every time it passed a floor. She was almost there. When the elevator finally stopped, she entered the hall that led to his front door and knocked lightly. No answer. "Hello," she called quietly. "Is anyone there?" No response. She knocked again, louder this time.

Maybe she should leave. He obviously wasn't home. She went to turn around and saw the elevator door before her sliding open. Out came Yuki Sohma, the woman she recognized from running into her earlier at the movie theater hanging on his arm. Lovely. This was wrong. This whole picture was wrong. It was supposed to be her. He was supposed to want to marry her and he was supposed to propose to her tonight. Why. Why did he have to be with her. Everything about this was completely wrong.

"Machi?" Yuki said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

She looked at him silently for a moment before her eyes fell on the woman beside him, looking back at her in wonder. The woman had long dark hair and a pretty face. "What's your name?" she asked the woman gently, her gaze never leaving the woman's eyes.

"Tohru Honda," she replied politely, bowing a little. "And you are?"

"No one important," Machi interrupted abruptly. She brushed passed them, stopping beside Yuki and whispering almost silently into his ear. "But I have to wonder. Are you with her because of your brother's deal? Or do you really love her." Then she continued walking, entered the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor. She could see Yuki glaring at her angrily from the hallway, his face disappearing as the doors slid shut between them.

A sob escaped her lips and she bent down on the floor, curling up and hugging her knees to her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she cried loudly, her voice echoing off the elevator walls as it worked its way down the building. Why had she thought that it could be her. How could she have possibly believed that he could love her.

Tohru couldn't help but feel a little perplexed as Machi went by into the elevator. Why had she come all this way just to leave again? And then, she also looked a bit familiar too. Tohru couldn't quite put her finger on where she had seen her before but she had a feeling it hadn't been all that long ago. Had she run into her at a store somewhere? Seen her at a restaurant? A movie theater?

Yuki's jaw was in a tight line and Tohru wondered what the woman had said to him so quietly in his ear. She hadn't heard a word of it herself but whatever it was, it had made Yuki pretty angry. "Come on, let's go," Yuki said finally, breaking out of his funk and putting a hand on her shoulder. Tohru nodded and the two them went into his apartment room.

The smell of wine fermenting on his clothes was starting to become foul and Tohru made a face when he leaned down to kiss her. "Maybe you should take a shower," she teased. "You smell like you just took a bath in alcohol."

Yuki looked down at his shirt and sniffed a little, scrunching up his nose. "Ew, you're right," he laughed. "Maybe I should."

"Just leave your clothes outside the bathroom door and I'll wash them for you," Tohru suggested with a smile. She wanted him to cheer up. Somewhere during the night Yuki had seemed a little down and that bothered her. They were getting married. She wanted him to be as happy as she was.

Yuki snuck a quick kiss on her lips anyway despite her protests and grinned. "You're so sweet."

Blushing, Tohru bent down over the coffee table where they had set down several dvds. Momiji had taken them to a video rental store just before driving them to Yuki's apartment so that they could pick a few out. She wasn't really in the mood for anything dramatic or tragic and sad. Maybe a comedy? Flipping through the cases, she pursed her lips together. Which one should they watch?

The phone began to ring and she looked up at it in front of her, a startled expression on her face. She turned to the hallway and jogged down it a little to where the bathroom was. "Yuki-kun," she called in with a knock. "The phone's ringing."

Inside she could hear the water running and Yuki calling back loudly from inside. "Just go ahead and pick it up if you want. It doesn't matter."

Hmm. She supposed she could pick it up, but she didn't really want to pick up Yuki's phone. Wouldn't they think it was strange? What would she say? Maybe it would be someone important. Finally, she decided to just let it go, and the answering machine picked up.

"_This is Sohma, Yuki's residence. I am unavailable at the moment, so please leave your name and number after the tone and I will try to return your call as soon as possible. Thank you"._

Tohru couldn't help but smile a little. Hearing Yuki's voice, sounding so proper and professional struck her as extremely adorable for some reason. Taking a seat on the floor, she began to look through the movies again as the machine continued playing.

"_Yuki, this is your brother. I wanted to apologize about the other night. I didn't mean to hit you._"

Yuki's brother? So it was Ayame calling him? Tohru found herself looking up at the phone, her ears perking up.

"_If you managed to find a wife as agreed, please bring her to the chapel on St Marie street. You have until 10:00 pm that night or the deal's off. I've already arranged everything for the wedding so you don't have to worry about that. All you have to do is bring her there."_

A laugh escaped Tohru's throat.

_"If you do, I promise you will receive the position I promised you earlier in the new department they're opening up in Southern Japan. Call me tonight if you can. Bye."_

Tohru laughed harder. She laughed so hard that tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. How funny. How freaking hilarious. It was funny, right? All along. She had trusted him all along. Even when all the evidence told her not to. She cried. She laughed and cried.

She ran.

There was nothing to think about. It was all pretty clear. It all made sense now. A sudden proposal. A wedding that just had to be the next night. Yuki's sudden interest in her in the first place. Hana-chan was right. Uo-chan was right.

Everyone in the world already knew and she had been too stupid to see it herself.

Tohru laughed.

Tohru ran.

She didn't know where she was running. Far away to someplace where no one could see her and hurt her. The streets seemed dirty. Cars screeched to a halt and honked at her. But Tohru didn't notice. It began to rain, and drops of cold water began to seep into her clothes and hair. But Tohru didn't care. She didn't care about anything anymore.

The world was a dark and lonely place. Maybe she'd go to her apartment. No, she didn't like it there either. That was the place Hana-chan should be. But instead, her friend was in the hospital. Maybe she had died there. Tohru couldn't remember anymore. Where was Uo-chan then? Had she died too? Maybe both her friends had left her without her even knowing because she had been too involved with a lying, conniving man who had absolutely no real love for her. That had to be it. Her best friends had left her alone in the world. Her parents had left her alone in the world. And the man she loved most had left her alone as well.

In the end, they all left her.

The doorbell rang and Kagura came jogging forward, toothbrush in mouth, foam around her lips. Whatever. She pulled the door open and let out a shriek when she saw who was standing before her, her toothbrush falling to the floor. "Miine!" she cried. "What are you doing here!"

"Oh Kagura-chan!" Miine squealed, jumping on the woman before her and wrapping her arms tightly around Kagura's neck. "I missed you so much. I just had to come and see you after being away for so long!"

Kagura grinned, pulling Miine into the room. "Well don't just stand there. Come in! You have to tell me how you've been." She gestured to the couch and then pointed to the bathroom. "I just have to rinse this toothpaste out of my mouth. I'll be back in just a second." Running into the bathroom, Kagura turned the sink on, splashing a few handfuls of cold water into her mouth and swishing it around. Then she wiped her face on a towel and ran back out to find Miine looking frantically through her purse. "What's the matter?" she asked in concern.

Miine looked up at her, her eyes wide. "My wallet. It must have fallen out of my purse on my way here. I have to find it."

"But wasn't it just raining out? You should stay inside."

"It stopped when I got here," Miine promised. "I'll be back in just a minute, and then we can talk. I'm sure I had it when I got off the bus so it can't be too far."

Kagura nodded and went to her closet. Finding a light, tan colored coat, she pulled it on over her shoulders. Then she found another one and handed it Miine. "I'll go with you then," she said firmly. "But wear this. Its too cold outside for what you're wearing."

Pushing her glasses up her nose, Miine bounced onto Kagura again, hugging her tightly and knocking her to the floor. "You're such a doll!" she squealed.

Finally, Kagura managed to untangle the woman from her and they began making their way outside. Miine was right. It had stopped raining. Glancing down at her watch, she found it was just past nine. Not too late then. She couldnt' help but feel paranoid after that awful night she had experienced only a couple days ago. But with Miine here, she did feel a little safer. Besides, she was right by her home as well if anything did happen.

After searching for a few minutes, Kagura saw Miine's eyes light up as she dove on a small leather wallet laying in the middle of the sidewalk. "Oh thank god," she breathed, tucking the soggy thing into her purse.

"I guess we can go back now..." Kagura trailed off, her eyes falling on a form laying in the grass in the distance. What in the world? She took a few steps closer and could finally make out the shape of a woman laying in a heap on the ground. Hurrying to her side, she pulled the woman up into her arms and gave her a gentle shake. "Hey, are you all right?" she asked.

The woman's blue eyes fluttered open for a second before closing again and Kagura could feel herself beginning to panic. She didn't look hurt. But she did look as though she must have passed out all of a sudden. Maybe she could bring her back to her apartment to lay down? She glanced in the woman's purse, thinking she could find the number of a family member or friend she could contact. However, all she found was a small ID, and some credit cards, the name 'Tohru Honda' plastered over the fronts.

chapter 31- day 6 and 7- second proposal

You know how you kind of get a feeling when you're alone in a house? That was the feeling Yuki had when he stepped out of the shower. He wasn't sure why. He just had the strangest sense of being by himself all of a sudden. Pulling on his clothes, Yuki peeked out the bathroom door, his eyes searching the hallway. "Honda-san?" he called loudly. There was no reply, which, for some reason, didn't surprise him. Stepping over the pile of clothes he had left earlier by the door, he began to wander around the apartment, randomly calling Tohru's name every now and then.

Eventually, Yuki came to he living room, the front door still wide open. Had he left it like that? "Honda-san?" he said again, going to the door and looking outside. The hallway outside his apartment was empty as well. However, Tohru's shoes were gone and her purse appeared to be gone as well. Yuki furrowed him brows uncertainly. Had she needed to run out for a minute to get something? She could have told him.

And that was when he noticed the little light on his answering blinking slowly on the coffee table by the couch. Maybe she had called to tell him where she was going. That made sense. Some kind of emergency most likely. Kneeling down by the phone, he pressed the messages button and an automated voice replied "you have one new message. 8:34 pm."

"_Yuki, this is your brother. I wanted to apologize about the other night. I didn't mean to hit you. If you managed to find a wife as agreed, please bring her to the chapel on St Marie street. You have until 10:00 pm that night or the deal's off. I've already arranged everything for the wedding so you don't have to worry about that. All you have to do is bring her there. If you do, I promise you will receive the position I promised you earlier in the new department they're opening up in Southern Japan. Call me tonight if you can. Bye."_

Yuki's breath stopped in his throat. He wondered if he could every take another breath again. He remembered Tohru's voice calling into his bathroom while he was in the shower.

_"Yuki-kun, the phone's ringing."_

_"Just go ahead and pick it up if you want. It doesn't matter."_

What a joke. How could something that seemed so insignificant ruin his life so instantly. _Please God, if you choose to torment me, at least give me a little warning. _Everything had been going well hadn't it? It had. Really. For the first time, he noticed a flash of silver tucked underneath a DVD box, and moved it away to find the engagement ring he had given her laying in the middle of the heap, tossed into the pile like it was garbage. And now she was gone.

He curled up into a little ball, holding the ring tightly in his fist, his knees pressed up to his forehead. He closed his eyes, enjoying the soothing darkness that surrounded him. Maybe he should turn out all the lights too. Regardless, he intended on staying this way for the rest of the night.

Kagura tucked the last blanket over the sleeping woman's form as the stranger lay on her couch. Miine had come up behind her, peeking at the woman over Kagura's shoulder. Kagura bit her lip as she looked at Tohru Honda's face, thinking she recognized her from somewhere. Where was it. Where could it have been from?

"How is she?" Miine asked finally, gazing intensely up at Kagura, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"I called up one of her friends, 'Uo-chan?'. I found her number in the woman's purse." Uo... That sounded familiar too. But maybe she was just looking too much into all this. Kagura figured she had just had a little too much excitement today. "She's coming to pick Tohru Honda up in a few minutes."

Miine let out a sigh of relief. "That's wonderful. I'm glad you found someone to come get her." She glanced down once more at Tohru's sleeping form. "For a moment I had thought you stumbled on a dead body."

Kagura shook her head, taking a seat on the couch opposite the sleeping woman. "She's just asleep. She must have passed out in the grass. Good thing we found her, huh. I don't think she was out there for very long." She paused, biting her lower lip. "Miine, why are you really here?"

Laughing, Miine plopped down beside Kagura, wrapping her arms fondly around her. "To see you, of course," she replied cheerfully. "It's been ages."

Untangling herself from her friend's arms, Kagura turned to face Miine. It was a touching though, but yeah right. As if she didn't know better. "Miine, I'm being serious. Why are you here?"

"What's with all the questions anyway," Miine cried out exasperated, throwing her hands up in the air. "Is it so hard to believe I'd come to visit a friend?"

"To put it quite bluntly, yes."

Sighing, Miine looked away, not saying anything for a moment. Finally, she admitted in a low voice. "Maybe there are a few other reasons," she murmured. "One reason in particular actually..." She trailed off before adding slowly. "I guess... I miss Ayame."

"There we go, I knew it." Kagura smiled a little. So Miine still loved him after all this time. She could relate to that. She really could. Even Kyo, as she tried her best to forget him still haunted her mind constantly. Like when the phone rang, and the way her heart would immediately speed up, as if it were him on the other line. Or when she'd hear shouting coming from next door, and imagine it was him yelling at the neighbors again. And at night, the way she still couldn't help but anticipate his coming home at 10:45, complaining about his tips and the terrible customers he had served and how much he hated his job.

Tohru stirred. Both Miine and Kagura looked over at her. She moved a little to the side, and her eyes fluttered open. Miine and Kagura jumped to their feet running beside her. "Are you all right?" Kagura asked quickly. "How do you feel?"

A little moan escaped her throat before she looked up at Kagura, her eyes slowly focusing on her face. "Who are you?" she asked softly, her voice a little scratchy.

"You were passed out outside by my apartment building. I brought you inside. Your friend, Uo-chan is it? She's coming to get you."

Tears began to well up in Tohru's eyes and she turned around and faced the couch, sobbing loudly to herself into her hands. Kagura could feel herself growing alarmed again. Now what was the matter? "I'm sorry," Tohru cried quietly. "I'm so very sorry. I'm grateful for you helping me. I really am. All I remember is running down the street in the rain, and then it all went black. But right now... Right now I just don't feel like I can even go on living. It hurts so much. Everything. My body and my heart. I can hardly stand it."

"What's wrong?" Miine asked, her voice filled with worry. "What happened to you?"

Tohru shook her head. "I can't. But thank you. I am grateful. I hope you believe me."

"It's all right," Kagura said softy, touching the top of Tohru's head gently and smoothing down her hair. "You don't have to tell us anything. We won't ask you any more questions." Kagura remembered where she had seen this woman before now. Only a few days before at the park, Kyo had said that he was in love with her and that they had been secretly dating. That was why Kagura had left him.

But somehow, she didn't feel angry at Tohru. Something about her told Kagura that this woman wasn't the kind of person to do something like that. She was in pain right now, physically and emotionally, and Kagura knew it had nothing to do with Kyo. So that meant he had been lying about having another girlfriend, after all. He had just been trying to get rid of her. Figured.

The sound of the doorbell made everyone's head perk up. That was probably Tohru's friend. Kagura went to the door and opened it, a blond head appearing before her in the doorway. Letting out a shriek, Kagura jumped back, her eyes growing wide. "You!" she cried. "Why did it have to be you!"

Uotani looked just as surprised and she slapped a hand over her face. "Ah geez," she said. "Life is just full of surprises, isn't it." She stepped past Kagura, her eyes darting back and forth. "All right. Where is she?"

"I don't recall inviting you in yet," Kagura muttered to herself in annoyance. It was the same chick that had kissed her Kyo the night before. And now, as luck would have it. She also happened to be this poor woman's friend too.

"Look," Arisa groaned, turning to look at Kagura. "I already apologized for last night, didn't I? Let it go. It didn't mean anything anyway."

"That's easy for you to say!" Kagura cried. "You weren't the one that had to watch the man you love kissing another woman. How would you feel if it were you!"

"I'd feel terrible," Uo said flatly. "Happy now?"

"Damn it! Of course I don't feel happy!" Kagura shrieked. She stopped, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. There. Now was not the time to be angry. "Besides," Kagura added, feigning calmness. "He's the kind of person that pretends to be cheating on you just to make you go away."

Uotani snorted out loud. "Oh for the love of God. Get over it! Can't you get that through that thick skull of yours? He obviously loves you. You could see it written all over his face last night. I really don't care whether you believe me or not either. I plan to take Tohru home and never see your face again for the rest of my life? Got that?"

Kagura was almost shaking with rage. How dare her speak to her like that! "Good!" she cried. "I never want to see you again either. At least that's something we both agree on."

And that was exactly what "Uo-chan" did too. She wrapped an arm around Tohru, helped her off the couch, and was gone. Good riddance.

"Well that was quite interesting," Miine commented, shutting the door behind the two as they disappeared down the hallway. "Don't you think so, Kagura-chan?"

Kagura let out a sigh. "Interesting wasn't exactly the word I'd use for this. Come on. Let's go watch a movie or something. I'll take you to see Ayame in the morning."

"That's exactly why I love you so much, Kagura-chan!"

Yuki came into work the next morning. He didn't look particularly down. Or sad. Or depressed. He didn't betray any emotion at all actually. He came into work, and smiled at his coworkers before going into his office and locking the door behind him. And that was why everyone knew something was wrong. The now famous wedding proposal by Yuki Sohma had been rejected.

Machi tried to focus on her work, but her eyes were drawn to his form as he practically glided by her desk. She watched him as he entered the office and the door shut behind him. And immediately, that was when the whispers began. A woman behind her cupped a hand over her mouth before leaning forward and beginning in a harsh low voice, "you know what's wrong, don't you?"

Turning around, Machi couldn't help but look a bit perplexed. She knew that a lot of people here didn't like her. That was why most of the time, Machi just kept to herself without bothering anyone. Her coworkers seemed pretty happy to oblige. However this woman had said a few things to her before as well. Mostly random facts about people that she could really care less about. A woman that liked to gossip, no matter who to. Any ear was welcome as long as they looked interested.

"That girl he proposed to actually said 'no'," the woman whispered with a little laugh. "Can you imagine? The all mighty Yuki Sohma being turned down like that. The poor guy must have felt like such a jackass."

He was turned down... Why did everyone keep saying that? But, she had seen them, hadn't she? Machi had seen them together only the night before. There was no way that woman would ever turn him down. She had seen just how much in love the two of them were. "You don't know anything," Machi finally muttered, turning back to her desk.

"I'm serious," the woman insisted. "Even his older brother Ayame was talking about it." She rolled her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing ever. "I mean, come on. _Everyone _knows."

Machi was silent. Climbing up from her chair, she moved toward Yuki Sohma's office. Down the aisle, passing by curious eyes and tables covered in folders and papers, she made her way to the end of the floor before knocking on his closed door.

"Come in," Yuki called from inside. He didn't sound sad at all. Perhaps he was in denial.

Opening the door, Machi looked inside, finding Yuki laying on a small leather sofa in the corner of the office, staring up at the ceiling. His desk had been turned over, the computer laying on its side on the floor, and a shower of graphs and figures laying on the ground around it. Her shoe crunched on a broken glass as she stepped inside. "Disgusting," she muttered. But who was she to talk. She did the same thing. When she was hurt and sad and felt as though the world were just a blur of chaos and destruction, she wanted to make her surroundings match this point of view. She had to destroy everything.

"What do you want?" Yuki asked, not even turning to look at her. His eyes remained glued above him, staring intensely as if there were something particularly interesting he were looking at.

Machi walked up to him before kneeling down beside him on the couch. "Are you sad?" she asked quietly.

A pause. "Yeah," he replied.

"She rejected you, didn't she."

A longer pause. "Yeah."

Machi thought about this for a moment. She gazed at him from where she kneeled on the floor, their faces only inches apart. His hair was a mess and so were his clothes. She realized they were the same ones he had been wearing the night before when he had been on his way home with that woman. "Sohma-san," Machi began again, her voice low. "You want that position your brother offered you. Isn't that right? That was why you began this whole charade to begin with. You would've done anything for that raise, that rise in power and status. That's why you're where you are right now. Do you still feel that way? Do you still feel you would do anything, sacrifice anything for that position?"

His reply came even slower this time. As if he were weighing out all his options and his current situation. Finally, he muttered "yeah."

"Sohma-san," Machi said quietly, leaning forward even closer, so that she could feel the heat radiating from his cheek, and she was whispering in his ear. "Would you marry me for that position?"

Silence. Yuki closed his eyes. "Yeah," he replied.

Machi smiled, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I was hoping you'd say that."

chapter 32- day 7- wedding preparations

There's always something we all find ourselves needing to consider. Sometimes its something important, perhaps about the choices we've made in our life and our hopes for the future. Other times, its something trivial, like whether we look better in blue or green, or if we should finally get that hair cut we've been putting off for so long. Uotani found herself trying to decide whether what she was considering right now was something trivial or important, because in all actuality, it had nothing to do with her.

She hadn't liked the note she had left Kagura's place at. Suddenly she was feeling guilty as if she had something to feel guilty for, which, she was pretty sure she didn't. Sure, she had kissed Kyo, right smack on the lips, in front of her. But hey, she had apologized already, hadn't she? What more did the woman want? A peace treaty signed in her own blood? But the point was, she couldn't stop thinking about it and it was bugging the hell out of her.

And now, to make matters worse, Tohru had locked herself in her bedroom and had been wailing nonstop the entire night and well into the morning hours. Arisa had called her husband and apologized, telling him she was staying the night at Tohru's since she wasn't feeling well, and of course, he had been happy to let her do whatever she wanted. He really was being on his best behavior lately. She wondered if maybe she should threaten to leave him more often. Fear seemed to bring out the best in him.

When she had asked Tohru what was wrong, her friend had refused to say anything, choosing instead to run away from her and hide in her bedroom. She felt terrible, but what could she do? Glancing at the clock hanging on the bare white wall above the sofa, Uotani made a mental note to herself that it was time to pick up Hanajima from the hospital. Cautiously, she approached the door to Tohru's room and knocked gently. No reply. Not that she was surprised. "Tohru. I'm going to go pick up Hanajima. Okay? I'll be back soon."

And with a sigh, she left the apartment, shaking her head in resignation. It didn't feel right to just leave her like that but she didn't have much choice in the matter either. Not to mention the fact that she still couldn't stop thinking about Kagura and how damned pissed off and unhappy she had been last night. Damn it! Why did it have to be her fault that things weren't going well for the bitch and Kyo? According to Kyo, those two had been having problems way before she even knew who he was anyway. Stupid conscience.

Uotani climbed into her car, revved the engine and went speeding toward her destination of the hospital. She wished she could just make all this stress go away. It seemed like when it wasn't one thing, it was damn well another. And come to think of it, what were the chances of Kagura, of all people, being the one to find Tohru. Which she was grateful for of course. And it really bothered her that she hadn't been able to show just how grateful she really was for Kagura taking care of her friend the night before. Damn. Why couldn't she have just said 'thanks' like the rest of the world.

About ten minutes later, she had arrived at the building and was pulling into an empty space in the parking lot. By the time she reached the room Hanajima was staying in, Uo found herself feeling even more annoyed than before, not to mention out of breath from the three flights of stairs she had just climbed. Thoughts of Tohru and Kagura floated around in her head, threatening to make her tear her hair out from her scalp.

Opening the door to the room, Uotani stepped inside, surprised to find Hanajima sitting at a small table by her bed, sitting across from a tall man with light hair. They were laughing in amusement together, munching on gourmet food complements of the hospital cafeteria and sipping from plastic cups of juice and water. Uo raised a brow, taking a few steps forward. Funny. Not only was Hanajima talking to a man, but she was smiling while she talked to him. Now that was new.

"Ah Arisa, so you've come already?" Hanajima asked, finally noticing her friend for first time. "Aren't you a bit early?"

"Actually, I'm two hours late," Uo corrected her.

Hana clapped a hand to her cheek, a look of mild surprise crossing her features. "Oh my. Is it really that late in the morning already? Time does fly."

So it would seem. But anyway, Uo didn't feel like thinking too hard about this right now. It looked as though Hanajima finally had a guy she seemed to not hate. Good for her. She just better not get all bent out of shape over it. Uo had seen enough of girls and their boy problems all week, herself included, and quite frankly, she was tired of it. "All right, let's go," she said flatly, not even bothering to ask who the guy she was eating with was. "Tohru's freaking out and hasn't stopped crying since some girls found her laying unconscious on the sidewalk last night. She won't tell me what's wrong either."

A look of panicked concern immediately struck Hanajima as she jumped to her feet, losing her balance on her broken foot and grabbing the wall for support. "I had no idea," she murmured, grabbing her crutches from the side of the bed. "You're right. I've enjoyed myself a little too much here. We should go." She turned to the guy at the table and smiled a little. "I suppose this is it then. It was nice meeting you... but I believe it was time I returned to reality."

The two of them headed down the hallway, Uotani carrying a few bags for Hanajima, and wondering what had happened back there. It was unusual to see Hana look so sad about saying goodbye to someone.

As they walked, a familiar head of red hair went racing by and Uo turned around to see Kyo running down the hallway, a duffel bag in hand. "Hey, halt!" she called out loudly. "Hold on! I'm talking to you, Orange Top!."

Kyo stopped to look behind him, his eyes widening in surprise and then narrowing just as quickly. "Oh, it's you."

"Oh, it's you," Uo mimicked in a low voice, rolling her eyes. "Try not to sound too excited, Orange Top. I'll start to think you're in love."

"Look," Kyo sighed, "I gotta run this change of clothes to my master... erm... Kazuma. I don't have time for this right now."

Uo shrugged. "That's all fine and dandy with me. Do what you want."

"Good. I think I will."

"But!" she called loudly again, stopping him before he could race off. She held up a hand, motioning for him to stop and desist for another minute. "I just thought I should tell you that Kagura misses you."

"What?"

"She misses you. I'm tired of seeing everyone around me so freaking depressed. I know you still love her so why don't you act like a man and show her for once."

Kyo made a face. "I don't know whether to be offended or just annoyed."

"Are you trying to say I'm wrong?"

"Well, no," Kyo replied slowly. "I never said that." He paused. "I miss her too actually," he added quietly. "I miss her a lot."

Smiling a little to herself, Uotani turned around and began walking away. "Let's go, Hana," she said softly, her voice low enough so that he wouldn't hear. He didn't need to hear her voice anymore. She'd interfered with his life enough to last them both a lifetime or two. That was why it would be best if she just disappeared now. Because he didn't need her. And because in her heart, she'd always cherish him as a wonderful friend. Always. _Good Kyo. I'm happy for you. I hope you guys can make it this time. _She wished she could say it out loud but she couldn't. And so she kept walking without looking back.

Miine had been pretty disappointed when she had come to work with Kagura, only to find no Ayame. "Sorry about that," Kagura apologized again. But apparently, her company was of small consolation and Miine continued to pout, staring outside longingly as if waiting for Ayame to show up at any minute. "He's usually here," Kagura continued. "Actually, I can't think of a time he ever wasn't."

"Its because of the wedding," Motoko blurted out from the next table over. A blush covered her face and she looked down at her desk, a scowl immediately replacing it. "Sorry," she muttered. "Its just that Yuki's getting married today. I haven't quite been myself." She put a hand dramatically to her heart, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. "Oh woe is I, who have cherished my love for the prince Yuki all these years, only to have him devote himself to another. And yet, I shall forever be his servant, for I shall never forget him no matter what happens. Oh Yuki. Oh my prince. How could you forsake me?"

Kagura frowned. "I thought you already had a husband."

"Well, yeah... Theoretically."

Rolling her eyes, Kagura turned her attention back to Miine who was twisting a strand of hair in her fingers, still gazing outside. "What are you thinking about?" she asked finally.

"I'm not really sure," Miine answered wistfully. She was leaning forward now on the window sill, her elbows resting on the cool surface, her half lidded eyes dreamily looking out toward the heavens.. "But a lot of things I haven't felt for a long long time are coming back to me all of a sudden. Being in this place again... I feel like I never left. I feel like any minute Ayame's going to burst in and shout out some atrocious new slogan he's thought up and then ask me what I think of it. I don't know... Maybe I shouldn't have come back after all... I don't know what I was thinking..."

"I know exactly what you were thinking. And even if its not today, you'll see him tomorrow," Kagura promised. "I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to see you again."

Miine chuckled a little, her cheeks tinted pink like a little girl wearing blush for the first time. "Do you think?"

"Of course," Kagura grinned. She turned back to Motoko who seemed to be writing poetry and doodling pictures of Yuki on her desk instead of actually accomplishing any work. "Motoko, by the way. Who's Yuki marrying anyway?" She was a bit curious as to what her cousin was up to. She had completely forgotten about the deal with Ayame, what with all that had happened that week.

Motoko turned to look at her, her mouth drawn into an unattractive pout. "You'll never guess," she muttered bitterly. "Of all the people, you'll never guess."

"Who?" Kagura asked, furrowing her brows. Geez, it couldn't be that bad, could it?

"Machi," Motoko stated flatly. "The Machi. The official psycho bitch of the Sohma Corporation. Can you believe it?"

Kagura's mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide with disbelief. "You're kidding, right? There's just no way. I mean, Machi of all people. Oh my God. How did you find out?"

"He announced it a little while ago while you were out," Motoko explained, her voice bored. "The whole office was in an uproar. Too bad you missed it. Oh no, wait.. Too bad I didn't miss it. I thought I was going to puke. I mean, of all the women here, he chose her? We all thought it was some kind of sick joke."

"And she's the one that likes to break things, isn't she?"

"Yup, that's her, all right."

"Wow, I really don't believe it."

"Well, you better start," Motoko grumbled. "Because the wedding's tonight. And we're all invited."

There really was just too much to do. You'd never imagine what setting up an entire wedding ceremony in one day is like. Okay, granted, Ayame had started a couple nights before, but still, it was nearly impossible getting everything organized. On a positive note however, he had gotten a few of the major things accomplished, and that made him feel a little better. The church had already been reserved for the ceremony that night, they had already found wedding bands for both Tohru and Yuki, and they had found them a wedding dress and tuxedo. The only problem was that he hadn't been able to get a hold of either Yuki or Tohru so that the two could try the wedding wear on.

"I finally got the caterers on the phone," Shigure informed Ayame, holding a hand over the mouthpiece. "They want to know how many people will be attending all together."

Ayame did a quick mental calculation in his head and checked over the notebook in his hand. "Tell them around four hundred or so."

Shigure nodded and began speaking into the phone again, ordering a huge variety of finger foods and snacks. When he was finished, he took a glance at his watch as he stuffed his phone in his pocket. "I have to get going," he said quickly. "Promised the wife I'd stop home and run an errand or two for her. She went all psycho since I've been promising to stop home early for the past week or so and never have."

"Poor Mit-chan," Ayame chuckled, shaking his head. "How ever does the dear put up with you, darling."

"Not as well as you do, sweet Aya."

"But of course, Gure darling. However, I promise to refrain from making your wife too jealous."

"You're so good to me."

"Speaking of being good. You did remember to order the cake?" Ayame asked, raising a brow.

Shigure nodded. "I just did not too long ago. I told them to use their names on one of those plastic banner things they stick on top."

"Good," Ayame commented in approval. "I really am looking forward to tonight though. I met Yuki's bride to be just a couple days ago at the hospital."

"Was she sick?"

"No, just visiting a friend. She seems very sweet. I think she'll be good for him. You did tell them to spell her name right, didn't you? It's Tohru... T... O... H..."

Shigure put his hands up, shaking his head. "Hold on a minute. Tohru? I think you've made a mistake. Her name is Machi."

"Machi?" Ayame asked, furrowing his brows. "What do you mean, Machi?"

"I just talked to Yuki. It took me an hour just to get a hold of him. And he told me his fiance's name is Machi. That is the one you were telling me you met, isn't it?"

Ayame was silent before shaking his head slowly. "No... not at all. Her name was Tohru... I wonder what happened..." Machi? Pursing his lips together, Ayame tried to tell himself not to think too much about it. If Shigure had talked to Yuki and Yuki had a bride, then at least the wedding was still on. But then again... If Machi was the same Machi that worked for their company (and he really didn't know any other), then something terribly wrong must have happened.

"Is something bothering you?" Shigure asked in curiosity.

Ayame gave his hair a toss and laughed out loud. "Of course not!" he bellowed. "How could there be? My little brother's getting married!"

chapter 33- day 7- dress

Its funny how when all you want to do is cry and scream and mope around the house, all everyone else seems to want to do is keep you from doing just that. Was it really asking to much to just be left alone? Apparently so. As Tohru lay sprawled on her bed, minding her own business, her door was bashed down by her two friends, Uo tani and Hanajima. She looked up at them in shock as they marched toward her and she found herself being dragged out of her room despite her kicking and protests.

"We're going out," Uotani stated loudly in that no nonsense sort of tone of hers.

Tohru shook her head frantically. "Just leave me alone," she whimpered, her eyes still swollen and red from crying. She just wanted to crawl back into her bed, curl up under her rumpled sheets and sleep for another week or so. Dried tears had made permanent streaks down her cheeks and her hair was one bit tangled nest on the top of her head. "I don't wanna go anywhere."

Hanajima kneeled down, wrapping her good arm around Tohru and holding her gently. "It'll be good for you to get some air," she said softly. "We can't just leave you here to cry all by yourself."

Tohru wanted to argue that not only _could_ they do that, but she'd be pretty grateful if they did, but decided any further fighting would be pointless. Letting out a sigh, she nodded slowly. "But not for a long time," she murmured. "Just an hour maybe."

"That's perfectly okay," Uo agreed. "We'll get you something to eat then. How about that?"

"And I believe I know just the place," Hana added, pulling herself upright and arranging her crutches beneath her. "They opened up a new shopping center downtown. They have a entire row of classy new stores and restaurants. We should give it a try."

"It sounds expensive."

"Well don't worry about that, Tohru dear," Uo grinned. "We'll treat. So how's that sound? A nice dinner with your best buds at some overpriced new restaurant. You can't even tell me that doesn't sound like heaven."

Tohru found herself smiling a little despite herself, closing her eyes and climbing slowly to her feet. And for a moment, she imagined that she could forget everything terrible that had ever happened just like that, all her worries and sorrows disappearing into thin air. "You're right," she murmured quietly to herself. "Just like heaven."

It had been years since the last time Kyo had visited the Sohma corporation. The damned place that it was. Not exactly the most pleasant experience that time either. What could he say? They just didn't want him there. Didn't want him in their family, their workplace, or their life. Fine. Whatever.

But, right now, Kyo had a mission.

That was why he couldn't leave, no matter how much he really wanted to. He wanted to make things right with Kagura. For the first time in his life, Kyo was going to admit that he had been wrong. He missed her so much it hurt, and he was tired of sleeping in that damned hotel anyway. Entering the building, he found an elevator and punched in the floor he knew Kagura's desk was on. He let out a deep breath and wished himself luck. After the ass he had been lately, he was going to need every little bit he could get.

And, as if by magic Kagura was standing there, right in front of the elevator doors as they slid open, gazing down at a pile of papers in her hands, and Miine of all people standing right behind her. What the hell was Ayame's old girlfriend doing here anyway? But that wasn't important right now. Kagura looked up from her papers, registering his face for the first time as she went to step into the elevator she had been waiting for. Her eyes widened and she let out a shriek, jumping back. "K... Kyo-kun?"

"Uh, hi."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," he replied lamely. Maybe he should have come bearing flowers or gifts or chocolates or something romantic like that. You know, like real guys usually did when they wanted to be forgiven in a relationship. However, leave it to Kyo to go nose diving in without even a game plan to fall back on. He hadn't even thought about what he would say when he got here, and well, here he was.

"Yeah right," Kagura retorted

Kneeling down, Kyo didn't give her a chance to finish speaking. He took her hand in his own and held it close to him. "I'm sorry for everything," he said quietly. "I left us hanging for so long. We were engaged and I still couldn't treat you the way I should have, the way I wanted to.." He looked up at her. "But I want to marry you Kagura. My entire life, you've been the only one for me, for now and for always."

Kagura didn't reply right away. Just sort of gaped at him for a minute, obviously not fully comprehending what he had just said. But that was okay. He couldn't even comprehend what he had just said. The words had just come, spilling from his mouth, straight from his heart without a thought. Finally, she kneeled down next to him, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Kyo-kun," she sobbed. "You're such an idiot." And she threw her arms around his neck hugging him tightly. She smelled like cherry shampoo, the stuff she kept in the bathroom next to her body wash and lotion. He closed his eyes and let her hold him. This was it. The feeling that he had been missing. Finally, he felt complete.

Tohru had to admit that her friends were right. The food had been absolutely delicious. Not that she felt any better or anything. She still felt like crying her eyes out actually, but at least she was full, and that could be quite satisfying in a different way. It helped to distract her from thoughts of Yuki, from thoughts of his eyes, from thoughts of his smile, from thinking of the way his hair felt between her fingers, from thoughts of herself as a bride.

As they passed the lines of shops, a flash of white caught her eye from one of the large display windows. She turned to look and found a beautiful white wedding dress sitting in the window on a mannequin. Despite her friends protests, she stopped before it, pressing her hands against the cold glass of the window as she gazed longingly at it.

It was simply gorgeous, nothing but layers and layers of lace and pure white satin. "I want to look at it," she said softly to herself. Not even looking behind her at her friends, she went to the door of the shop and pulled the door open to enter. The store appeared to be a bridal shop, filled to the brim with wedding dresses and evening gown in all colors and styles. Immediately, she went toward the dress, drawn to it the way a moth is drawn to light. She lifted her fingers to the soft material and brushed her fingers down the fabric, a small smile coming to her face. It was as if she could see herself wearing it, the skirt brushing against her ankles as she walked down a long aisle. A veil hanging over her eyes.

"Its a very nice dress, isn't it," a voice said from behind her.

Tohru turned around quickly, her eyes focusing on a figure only a few feet away, wearing a wedding dress of her own and standing before a line of mirrors. Nodding, Tohru walked a few steps toward the woman, her eyes moving to the bride's face, finding that she recognized it. The woman from the other night. It had to be. She had seen her just the night before at Yuki's apartment. The dress the mysterious woman wore was quite pretty as well, a little simple, but pretty nonetheless. The glowing white material accented the girls magnificently pale skin and dark hair as it fell over her shoulders.

The woman offered a weak smile as she turned back toward the mirrors and watched herself in it. "They wanted me to wear some big flashy thing, but I didn't like it so I chose this one, " she commented lightly, her eyes almost void of emotion, despite her smiling face. "I'm getting married tonight."

"Is that so?" Tohru asked politely, offering a bright grin in return. "That's wonderful."

"Yes," the woman murmured quietly. "Wonderful." She looked back at Tohru and lifted her skirt a little with a delicate hand, the material hanging from her slender frame. "How do I look?"

"You look beautiful," Tohru replied. "Very, very pretty."

"Yes, I suppose I do," the woman commented. "I'm happy. I really am." She paused, looking at Tohru silently for a moment. Her eyes sent a wave of unease over Tohru that sent chills down her spine. "And after tonight," the woman continued in a low voice, her eyes never leaving Tohru's face. "My name will be Machi Sohma."

Sohma.

Tohru nodded. From behind the woman a figure emerged, dressed in a dark tuxedo. It was Yuki. He looked at Tohru in astonishment, or perhaps it was horror, and Tohru smiled at him as well. For some reason she didn't feel surprised. Or perhaps she was so surprised that the shock had made her whole body and mind numb. It only made sense after all. A man who needed to marry someone to further his position wouldn't let a little think like Tohru turning him down keep him from finishing what he had set out to do. It was only natural that he should find a replacement for her already.

The woman, Machi, she really did look beautiful. Yuki still wasn't saying anything. He seemed to be in disbelief. Just like herself. Only Machi remained calm, void of emotion.

And so Tohru left the store. She thought she saw Yuki running, following her from behind but the doors locked and an alarm set off. Must have been the suit he was still wearing. She could hear him pounding on the door, calling her name, but it was muted by the glass of the store between them. She met up with her friends a little ways down the street. They hadn't seen what had happened and when they asked she didn't particularly feel like telling them. She just continued to smile and let them lead her to the car. She'd wait until she got home. Right now the wound was just too fresh, too new to hurt badly. The pain was still relatively dull. She'd wait until she got home. And then she'd let herself cry.

chapter 34- It was kind of like slow motion. Everything moved in front of him as if a clock's hands were being pulled back, keeping them from moving forward at full speed. One minute, Yuki was standing in the dressing room, trying on a stiff, uncomfortable tuxedo and thinking how much he wanted a sandwich, and the next, Tohru was standing before him and Machi, the worst possible expression he could have ever imagined on her face. He had run after her instinctively without even thinking, shouting for her to come back. The door shut in front of him, an alarm sounded, and then she was gone. A brief glimpse of a life he was never meant to have with a woman he'd never be with.

He looked over at Machi, who stood beside him faithfully, clinging to his sleeve with her thin fingers. "Don't go," she murmured, her eyes turned down to the ground. "Don't go to her."

He closed his eyes.

Maybe Machi did love him. Maybe. He didn't know. He didn't know what to think anymore. All he could think of was Tohru, and how he was probably making the biggest mistake of his life. His heart still ached for her. His body, his mind and soul. He had given it all up to her the moment he first laid eyes on her pretty face, the moment he touched her hair, and kissed her lips. Since that very moment, his everything had belonged to her. It made him hurt. He hurt so bad that even just thinking about it was painful. Make it stop. Make the bleeding in his heart stop. Somebody. Please. Help him!

"Yuki."

He turned to look at her. Machi. "Yes?" he asked quietly.

"Please don't go to her." She ran a hand lightly down his arm, her fingers tracing a line from his elbows to his wrist. "I don't want to be alone anymore. I don't want you to leave me."

How could he leave her? She had never had him to begin with? But instead he nodded, not sure how else to respond. Someday, in a few years, maybe a decade or so, he would realize that this was the right thing to do. Tohru had rejected him, after all. Could anyone blame him for accepting Machi instead? What other choice did he have? To be with no one? To be fired? To be alone and homeless? Surely no one could blame him for not wanting to be alone.

Ayame appeared not too long afterward. He was already decked out in a flashy black tuxedo himself, a bright smile on his face. "Show time, little brother," he grinned. "The ceremony starts in less than two hours now! Chop. Chop! Let's get moving."

"Only two hours already?" Yuki mused. How funny. Like having a death sentence for the next day, and then finding out that sentence was to be carried out before the sun even rose. Didn't really give him a lot of time to mope, now did it. Looked like it was all or nothing. Now or never. He noticed Machi gazing up intensely at him, her eyes desperate, pleading almost.

"Yuki," she began, her voice shaking slightly. "You... you do want this don't you? You... you do want me, don't you?"

She looked so tiny all of a sudden, like a defenseless child, or even like a glass doll on the verge of shattering. So fragile. Frightened almost. Forcing a small smile, Yuki replied gently, "Of course I do." Lies were only wrong when they hurt the other person. But this lie, it made Machi so very happy. How could he not say it?

Sighing, Ayame put a hand to his heart. "Just seeing you two love birds together really just gets to me right here." He pointed to his watch. "Now let's get going. Time's a wasting. We have to get to the chapel and get everything all organized before the ceremony begins."

Nodding, Yuki turned to Machi, still dressed in the plain white gown she had chosen earlier. "We better change back then," he told her. "We'll change again when we get there." How awkward. The two of them there in their wedding clothes. No one would have ever guessed that they were actually going to get married less than two hours from now. But what did it matter? He could care less about how they put this stupid wedding together anyway. It wasn't important to him. It was just something he had to do.

Machi didn't reply for a moment. She looked down at her dress and then back up at him. "Yuki," she said thoughtfully, "you shouldn't see the bride in her wedding dress. It's bad luck. But you've already seen me. So I guess its too late now."

Bad luck, huh. Great. Just what he needed. More bad luck.

Kagura would never understand Kyo. He always managed to jump from _darling _status to _bastard_ status in five minutes flat, and then back to _darling_ status all over again. The two of them were talking now, smiling and laughing like they always had. It seemed like such a long time since the last time they had really been able to do that.

"Yuki's wedding is going to start soon," Kagura commented absently, her eyes roaming over to the clock. Several others had congregated around them, Haru and Rin, Miine, Motoko, Shigure as well. It was as if they had all sensed the time drawing closer. The time when Yuki Sohma's wedding would begin. Rumors had been flying like crazy the entire day.

Yuki was marrying Machi.

But hadn't he been rejected?

The person he really loved had rejected him.

Machi was a stand in.

A replacement.

Everyone was talking about it. Every floor of the building would have something to add. Where did it all come from? How much of it true and how much of it made up? "We should probably get going then," Haru commented.

Kyo narrowed his eyes, looking down at the ground. "Why, just so I can see that damned rat get married to Tohru?"

No. Not Tohru. Machi. Right?

"You got it wrong," Motoko snapped. "It's Machi. Weirdo Machi. Psycho bitch Machi."

"What! How can that be right?" Kyo looked so confused. What had been going on this whole time? How much had happened that Kagura didn't know about. Tohru... Tohru... Small world huh. She knew a Tohru. "Tohru Honda," she blurted out suddenly. The woman she had met the night before. Crying and distressed. Uotani's friend. Uotani, the bitch that kissed Kyo.

"That's right," Kyo muttered, shaking his head. "It was supposed to be Tohru. Who the hell is Machi? I just don't get it."

And apparently, this friend of Uo, the boyfriend stealing bitch, was friends with Tohru, who apparent knew Kyo (hadn't Kyo said they were dating? Even though that had been a lie?) , and now, was apparently the one Yuki was originally supposed to marry, though now he was getting married to Machi (for reasons unknown to pretty much everyone?) My, the webs we weave. Kagura made a face. Too much to take in. Way to much info. She was even confusing herself.

"It wasn't supposed to be her," Haru shrugged. "It was supposed to be a Honda-san. That's all I know. Machi came into the picture because of me. I thought she would be good for him. How was I supposed to know he already had someone? He was always so secretive. He never told anyone anything. I don't know what happened after that though. I have no clue why he's marrying Machi now."

Rin looked up at them thoughtfully. "Do you suppose, she could have found out about the deal? The one Yuki made with his brother? If he was honestly in love with her, and she was honestly in love with him, finding out something like that would have been horrible."

"Well, that's just speculation," Shigure laughed. "I mean, it makes sense but let's not go to far. Maybe he just really likes Machi? Anyone ever think of that?"

"Maybe," Kagura sighed. She didn't want to think about it anymore. Poor Tohru. In tears at her apartment. What was that about? Was it about Yuki? "Let's just go. We don't want to miss it."

And with that, the group dispersed, everyone going back to their own workstations and gathering their things. The entire building was almost empty now. All employees had permission to leave an hour early in order to get ready and prepare for attending the wedding. She turned to Miine, who had remained uncharacteristically quiet the entire time. "I'm sorry about Ayame," she said apologetically. "He's really taken this marriage thing with Yuki seriously. I think its because of..." she trailed off. Now was probably not the best time to bring this up.

"Because of..." Miine inquired.

"Well, you know," Kagura replied awkwardly. Was she really going to make her say it? "Since you left him and everything. He hasn't been with anyone since then. I think making Yuki marry somebody was his way of dealing with the fact that he never asked you to marry him. He doesn't want Yuki to make the same mistakes."

Miine was quiet for a moment, but then a small, sad smile crossed her face and she laughed a little. "What an idiot, huh."

Hanajima watched Tohru in silence as she sat on the couch, chuckling about something that Uotani had said. She found it strange. Only moments before she had been completely out of her mind with grief, crying and shaking and refusing to leave her room. Now she was laughing and smiling like nothing was wrong. Which of course, only meant one thing. That something was wrong. "Tohru-kun..." she began gently.

Tohru turned to look at her, beaming, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Something wrong, Hana-chan?" she asked cheerfully.

Hana looked at her silently for a moment before shaking her head. "No, forget it." Something wasn't right. She couldn't quite place her finger on it. It was something that had happened when they had gone out to eat just an hour earlier. Tohru had disappeared into a store and when she came out, she had this happy expression frozen on her face. What had happened to her there? Should she even ask? "Tohru-kun," she began again, a little louder than the first time.

"Yes?" Tohru laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "You're acting strange, Hana-chan."

"Something happened, didn't it."

Tohru didn't reply, her lips parted to speak, though no words came out. "What... what do you mean?" she asked finally, the smile returning.

"Something happened back there at the shopping center," Hana stated firmly. "You've been acting different ever since."

"So strange," Tohru giggled again. "You're so strange, Hana-chan."

"Tohru, I'm being serious. What happened to you?"

"Happened? Do you really think something happened?" Tohru chuckled even louder, tears coming to her eyes. "What could possibly make you think that something happened Hana-chan? You're so strange. So odd. What are you talking about?" The tears began to stream over her cheeks, and Hanajima felt her heart go out to her friend. "I don't know what you mean," Tohru sobbed, covering her face with her hands. "I have no clue what you could possibly be getting at. Because nothing happened. Nothing..."

Arisa was all in a panic as she tried to comfort Tohru, patting her on the back and mumbling "there, there," but Hanajima just sat before Tohru silently, in deep thought. "It was that Yuki Sohma, wasn't it," she said finally. She knew she was right.

Tohru shook her head frantically, crying even louder. "It wasn't him," she shrieked. "It wasn't him. I don't care about him. I don't. He can marry whoever he wants to and I could care less. If he wants to marry Machi, that's fine with me. He never really loved me anyway. I don't care. I don't care. I don't care!"

Nodding, Hanajima took Tohru's hand, wet with warm tears, and held it tightly. She could understand now. This feeling that Tohru had tried to explain to her. The feeling that she must be feeling right now. She too understood what it meant to fall in love. Because she had fallen in love with Kazuma at the hospital. Even now, she longed to be near him again, to see him smile and laugh. Nothing brought her more happiness. Tohru, she must be feeling that way too. "You want to see him again, don't you?" she asked softly.

"I do," Tohru sobbed. "I want to see him. I want him to see me."

"Then... then perhaps you should go to him?"

Narrowing her eyes, Uotani jumped to her feet, planting them firmly in the ground and glaring angrily at Hana. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "Are you trying to make things worse?"

"Stay out of this Arisa," Saki said quietly, "this doesn't concern you."

"It damn well does concern me," Uo snorted, putting her hands on her hips. "Are you out of your mind? What do you mean she should go see him? He's the reason she's like this right now! He's a low life sneaky bastard and we all know it!"

"But she loves him." Hana placed her hand gently on Tohru's head, stroking her hair lightly with her palm. "You love him, don't you, Tohru-kun." Tohru nodded silently, not saying anything as she looked down at her lap. "You would regret it your entire life if you let him marry someone else, wouldn't you?" Tohru nodded again in agreement. "Then you should go to him. That's all there is to it."

"But I don't know where he is right now," Tohru murmured quietly. "And, the wedding is tonight. I'll never get there in time."

"If you love him, you'll find him. I have faith in you Tohru-kun."

"Maybe you're right... If I go now..." Smiling tearfully at her friend, Tohru wrapped her arms tightly around Hana, embracing her gratefully. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much."

Just as Tohru went to stand, Uotani blocked her path, arms crossed in front of her and her stare hard. "You're not going anywhere," she stated firmly. "I can't let you get hurt even more." She threw a disgusted look at Hana. "And you. I don't know where the hell you got the idea that Tohru should go ruin her life even more. Have you lost your freaking mind? Do you really think running off to some bastard that's going to get married is going to accomplish anything?"

"But, Uo-chan," Tohru whimpered. "I have to go."

"You're not going!" Uotani shouted angrily, pushing Tohru back onto the couch. "I'm _not_ going to let you do this to yourself!"

Hanajima grabbed Uo's arm, pulling her back. She didn't want to fight. But it looked as though they had no choice. She had to let Tohru go. Otherwise, Tohru may never be able to find happiness. Tohru's love for Yuki, nothing could ever compare to it. "Let her leave, Arisa. Don't try and stop her."

"Let go of me Hana!" Uo yelled.

"I won't. Let Tohru leave."

"I said let go of me!" She tore her arm from Hana's grasp, just as Tohru was hurrying toward the door once more. Jumping from her seat, her broken foot dragging behind her, Hana tackled Uo from behind before she could go after Tohru, knocking her to the floor. "Get off of me, Hana," Uo shrieked. "Get the hell off of me."

"I won't!" Hanajima cried, tears coming to her eyes. She couldn't take it anymore. All the pain. All the hurt. She just wanted everyone to be happy again. She wanted to see Tohru smile like she used to. She wanted Uo to laugh and joke and complain about her husband. And she wanted to see Kazuma. That was all. She could make out Tohru racing out the door, disappearing down the hallway. "Just let her go," Hana whispered, tears rolling down her face. They had to let her go. Why couldn't Uo see that they had to.

chapter 35- day 7- the end of the week

Tohru knew that she wasn't thinking anymore. She was moving by instinct, driven by the emotions in her heart. Yuki. Yuki. Yuki. Yuki. His name was spinning around in her head. She couldn't make it go away. All she could think about, all she could see, was Yuki. Please let her be there before it was too late. God, please hear her. Even if it was just one more time, let her see him just once more. One last chance. That was all she asked for. Even if it made her cry.

Yuki.

Yuki...

Please forgive her...

Please just let her be selfish this one last time. Taking away his happiness, that wasn't her intention. Ruining the most meaningful moment of his life, that wasn't what she was trying to do. But maybe, she just had to see it for herself. Maybe she just had to see Yuki get married to someone else for herself before she could bring herself to believe it, and to let go. Right? That was all she wanted, wasn't it?

But perhaps...

Just maybe...

deep down...

she wanted more.

Perhaps deep down she wanted to believe that Yuki would stop the wedding. That she would burst in and he would love her so much that he would stop everything just for her. A dream. A silly one at that. But she couldn't deny that small hint of hope aching within her chest. She was so stupid.

The wedding shop that she had been to earlier came into view and she jogged toward it, panting loudly. She had run the whole way without once stopping for breath. Not thinking. She wasn't thinking at all. A closed sign hung from the door, and when she tried to push against it, she found that it was locked. She pounded on the glass loudly with balled up fists, feeling angry and frustrated all at once. "Hello! Is anyone there!"

A small man came into view from inside, squinting through tiny glasses at her. He stepped up to the door, twisting the lock and pulling it open. "Is something the matter, miss?" he inquired.

Shaking her head, Tohru could feel her face flaring up a bright red color. She must look insane right now, completely out of her mind. "I... I just..." she paused, stopping to take in a deep breath. "The couple that was here earlier. Yuki Sohma and... Machi..." she could barely choke out the last name. "They're getting married tonight, aren't they? Where are they getting married? Do you know where the wedding is going to be at?"

The man looked at her silently for a moment. "And what would make you think that I know anything?" he asked simply.

"Please," Tohru cried, shivering uncontrollably despite the warmth of the night. "If you know, you have to tell me. It's important that I know where they are."

With a sigh, the man nodded, stepping out of the shop and pointing to the sign above the door. "SC Wedding Attire," he read out loud. "Stands for Sohma Corporation Wedding Attire. They just about own the whole city, you know. The Sohma's that is. Including the church on 342nd street. That's where they'll be. I'm sure of it."

Of course. It only made sense. The Sohma Corporation, they really did own just about everything, didn't they. "Thank you so much," Tohru replied gratefully. "You have no idea how grateful I am."

"Just don't do anything crazy, all right? The Sohma's aren't people you want to mess around with. They're powerful and they have money. That's a dangerous combination. So watch yourself, okay?"

"I will," Tohru promised. "I'll be careful."

If it was for Yuki, she felt like she could do anything. Cross any ocean, climb any mountain. Was it too much to dream that he could ever feel the same? What would he do when she came bursting into the church, frantic and disheveled like an escaped convict? Not thinking. Never giving her actions a single thought. She must have lost her mind.

I'm coming, Yuki, Tohru thought to herself. Please forgive me. But I have to come.

She hadn't thought to bring money with her. She had run out of her apartment completely unprepared, so she couldn't take a cab. Walking by foot to get to the church on the other hand would take hours. She couldn't allow that. She'd miss the wedding completely. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she pulled out two crumpled dollar bills. A bus, maybe? She had just enough for the bus. It would take a little longer than a cab but it was quicker than walking. Checking her watch, she tapped her foot impatiently as she waited at the bus stop. Hurry up. Hurry up. Come on.

There wasn't much time.

Tohru checked her watch.

Tohru tapped her foot.

Tohru felt like she might scream.

Not much time. Why couldn't they realize that? Where was the bus? If only she owned a car. Why couldn't it hurry up? Didn't they know? Didn't they understand just how important this was? Yuki was going to get married. And to Machi. Not her, but Machi... Even if she went, nothing would probably change. Yuki would marry Machi as planned, but at least Tohru would see it. At least Tohru would be able to accept it. She couldn't allow herself to miss this. No matter what, she had to be there.

The bus came into view.

"You look a little nervous."

Yuki looked up at his brother, who was standing before him, straightening his tie. Nervous wasn't quite the word he would use to describe it. Something more like regretful or depressed would probably be more suitable. But he definitely wasn't nervous. "I guess I am," he shrugged simply, not feeling any particular urge to argue with Ayame. What would be the point? It wouldn't change anything.

Giving him a little push forward, Ayame smiled encouraging at Yuki. "Go on. It's show time. You don't want to be late, do you?"

Yuki remained silent, but he allowed Ayame to lead him to the aisle and toward the priest. His eyes wandered around him distractedly, taking in the lights as they cast a golden glow on the elaborately decorated walls and statues. Hundreds of people sat crowded together on the long benches, co-workers, family. No friends though. That's right, he didn't have any of those. The aisle felt long as he crossed it. As if he were hiking down a long winding path going nowhere. There was nothing for him at the end, no hope or solace.

Everyone was smiling. Yuki wondered just how many of those smiles were fake. Most likely all of them. Who really gave a damn who he married, anyway? Most of them barely even knew him. The priest nodded at him as Yuki stopped in front of him, and Yuki gave him a half sort of grimace in return. Not quite was he was going for but it was all he could pull off.

Music was playing, sweet and beautiful in the air, echoing off the high ceilings.

And then silence.

Because Machi appeared at the doorway, dressed in her white gown, her arm linked with her father's. Everyone turned to look at her as she slowly made her way toward them. Long dark hair and pale face hidden behind a veil. Yuki blinked. She looked like Tohru. Tohru coming toward him, smiling cheerfully as she always had.

Tohru joining his side. His heart was overwhelmed with happiness. The two of them making their vows. They'd love each other forever. Of course they would. Because he loved her and always had. How could he have ever believed that he would be happy settling for someone else instead. There couldn't be anyone else for him. No one would make him as happy as Tohru would now.

Yuki felt so glad. To be near her. To have her close to him again. Tohru. Tohru Sohma. It had a nice ring to it. They were sitting in a little diner, sipping tea. He recognized it as the one that Kyo worked at. Stupid cat. He was always getting in the way. But she looked sad. He reached over and took her hand. _I love you. Don't worry about anything. I'll always, always love you, no matter what. _She didn't look like she believed him.

Married and together. He'd be with Tohru forever. They'd move into a gorgeous new place. Leave behind all the old rubbish. He'd buy her whatever she wanted, clothing, jewelry, cars. Anything.

Yuki blinked again.

Machi was there.

Not Tohru.

His imagination?

Was that all it had been?

Machi gave him a small smile from beside him. Her eyes were so solemn. She looked as though she would cry. Look a little happier, why don't you, Yuki thought bitterly. They were getting married, after all. Wasn't that what she had wanted? Wasn't that the reason he had given up on Tohru? They were getting married now, damn it. The least Machi could do was look a little grateful.

The priest before them began the ceremony, droning on the tired lines of everlasting love and companionship. What a joke. This entire night, just one big joke. He could dream of Tohru and their life together all he wanted but it was never going to happen. This was the reality. This was his reality. He was going to be with Machi until the day he died.

"Do you, Yuki Sohma, take this woman to be your lawfully wedding wife..."

The bus had finally come and Tohru had practically leaped on it, on the verge of tearing her hair out. Now she was sitting even more impatiently in the back, her face pressed to the grimy glass as she carefully read each street sign that went by. So far they were up to 336th street. They were almost there. She'd have to get off at the next stop. What would she do if she were too late? It had taken her so much longer than she had hoped to get there. What would she do if it had already started?

She pulled the cord hanging along the side of the bus and a red light turned on at the front telling the driver to stop. He pulled up to the curve and Tohru thanked him as she raced through the open doors. Finally. Her eyes were darting back and forth. The church. It should be just at the end of the street. A tall steeple came into view. That had to be it. She ran. Tohru ran as fast as she could. She was so close. She couldn't lose now. She had to get there.

Soon the entire cathedral stood before her and Tohru hurried to the door. She pushed it open and found that it was locked. Not again. This had to be some kind of sick joke. "Hello!" she shouted loudly, knocking loudly. "Hello!"

The door swung open and a slender woman with dyed red hair stood before her. "A guest for the wedding?" she inquired in a no nonsense sort of tone.

Tohru nodded. "That's right. A guest for Yuki Sohma's wedding."

"Name please."

Why did she want to know her name? "Ah, Tohru Honda?" she replied meekly.

The woman nodded, pulling out a clipboard, her eyes scanning down it. "You're not on the guest list," she replied finally.

No wait. This couldn't be happening. "I... I realize that," Tohru stammered. "But you see, I have to be there. I have to see this wedding... You don't understand how important this is."

"I understand perfectly," the woman shrugged. "You're not on the list. I can't let you in. Besides, you're not missing much. It's just about over anyway." Then she shut the door, quite abruptly and quite rudely in Tohru's face.

"W... wait," Tohru whispered, her eyes wide. She couldn't believe this was really happening. It had to be a nightmare. A horrible nightmare that she wanted to wake up from. Tears gathered in her eyes as she murmured again and again. "W.. wait... Please wait..." Her voice grew louder and she began to pound on the door again, shrieking loudly. "Wait! Wait! Open up! Please let me in! You have to let me in! I'm begging you!" She was crying now. She banged louder and harder, feeling sharp pains running through her fists. "Let me in!" she screamed loudly. "Let me in, damn it! Let me in!"

Tohru's hands hurt. She could feel the rough wood of the door tearing into her skin, shredding it. She pounded harder. Small dribbles of blood ran down her wrist and down her arm. She didn't care. She didn't care about any of that. "Let me in!" she choked one last time, sobbing loudly as she slid down to the floor, crumpling into a helpless heap. She covered her face with her bleeding hands, crying into them, and feeling her tears as they stung the raw skin. Blood was streaked across her cheeks, covering her palms and fingers and running down to her elbows. What did it matter? None of that made any difference now. Right at this moment, Yuki was marrying Machi.

Several moments passed. She didn't know how long she sat curled there. Finally, with a loud sniff, Tohru pulled herself up to her feet and dragged herself away. There was no point in staying any longer. Right? She wanted to get cleaned up. She didn't anyone to see her this way. The diner that Kyo worked at, the one that she had eaten at once before with her friends wasn't too far away. A two minute walk at the most. She go to their restroom and rinse herself off and then she'd sit down and order a glass of water. She wouldn't be able to order anything else, since she didn't have any more money, so she'd probably just sit there until someone tried to kick her out. Sounded like a good plan to her.

Tohru reached the diner, throwing the door open and making a beeline for the bathroom. A host tried to greet her but she brushed past him, not wanting him to see just how messed up she looked at the moment. When she was in the restroom, she turned on the cold water and splashed it over her face and arms, watching as all the red swirled down the drain. There. Not so bad, right? She tore off a piece of paper towel and began to dab at the water on her cheeks and forehead.

When she had finished, Tohru slowly dragged herself into the dining room, making her way to the window and collapsing into the table she had sat at with her friends the last time she was there. That's right. This was where she had first met Yuki. She turned her head, glancing over at the small table beside her. He had been sitting right there, in that very chair. It felt like so long ago. But it had only been a week earlier. Amazing. This was where they had first met.

Tohru closed her eyes, putting her head down in her folded arms on the table. If it had been her wedding. If it had been her marrying Yuki. She'd wear a long, beautiful white dress covered in silk and lace, just like the one she had seen in the store earlier that day. Yeah, definitely that dress. Yuki waiting for her at the end of the aisle. A rush of excitement would be flowing through her veins. Just imagine how nervous she'd be! And then she'd be beside him, and the priest would announce them husband and wife.

Perfect. Beautiful and perfect in every way.

They'd move into some wonderful little place together, it didn't matter where as long as he was with her. And they'd begin their new life together. They'd have two kids and a dog. Just the normal, typical family life. Their kids, a boy and a girl, would grow up and go to college and get married and have kids of their own. They'd all have dinner on the holidays and Tohru would spoil her grandchildren rotten while Yuki warned her to be careful. But she would know the truth. That when she wasn't looking, he would tuck a hundred dollar bill into their little palms and tell them not to show anybody.

She imagined Yuki sitting across from her at the table, taking her hand into his own. Was he trying to comfort her? _I love you. Don't worry about anything. I'll always, always love you, no matter what. _How lovely. She would love to believe that to be true. She really would. But if it were, he'd really be here with her right now, and not getting married to someone else.

"Honda-san?"

Did she hear her name? Maybe? Probably not...

"Honda-san!"

Opening her eyes, Tohru lifted her head from the table and warily turned to look behind her. A tall man stood there, dressed in a tuxedo, panting heavily as though he were out of breath. Funny. He looked a lot like Yuki. So she tried out the name, to see what would happen. "Yuki-kun?" But he couldn't be standing there. He was getting married. He was in the church.

Yuki smiled at her, his eyes damp and filled with longing. "Tohru," he said quietly, taking a step closer to her. It couldn't be real. There was no way he could be here. "Somehow, I thought you'd be here," he chuckled. "This is where we first met, after all."

"I... I don't understand," Tohru murmured finally, shaking her head. "I don't understand."

"I couldn't do it," Yuki broke in, wrapping his hands around hers and pulling her closer to him. "Don't you see. I couldn't do it. I had to see you again."

It was too much to take in. She still couldn't believe that it was really happening. "But... what about the deal you made with your brother," Tohru asked, tears welling up in her eyes. It didn't make sense. She didn't understand. Why was he here? "What about that, huh?"

Yuki's eyes were becoming more urgent, and he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his own. "That doesn't matter to me anymore," he whispered against her cheek. "Let them do whatever they want. Let them fire me for all I care. I just want to be with you. I won't force you to feel the same. But if you could accept me for what I am, then please let me be with you."

Nodding, Tohru could feel her tears as they began to stream down her face. It seemed like all she did these days was cry. But this time, it wasn't because she was sad. It was because she felt so very happy. "Would you really do that?" she whimpered, burying her face in his shoulder. "Would you really sacrifice everything?"

"Everything," Yuki promised. "If that's what you want. Because I love you. Don't worry about anything. I'll always, always love you, no matter what."

Just like in her dream. He was saying the exact same thing.

Fate. She had never really believed in such things before. But now, she couldn't help but feel like it existed. This was fate. It had to be. Yuki was her soul mate.

Machi stood in the middle of the aisle silently, looking down at the bouquet in her hands. How... how could he do that to her? Right in the middle, he just walked away. Was it really that terrible of a thing? Getting married to her? Was it really such a hardship that he had to leave her there like this?

She thought she would cry.

But instead, she looked down at the flowers in her hands. They were pretty. Very, very pretty. Everyone around her was in an uproar. It was strange, but she didn't care as much as she should have. She should be sadder than this, shouldn't she? Her fiance had just run out on her on her wedding night. She should be heartbroken. She should be inconsolable with grief, but she wasn't. It occurred to her that perhaps she had never really loved Yuki as much as she thought she did. She had been afraid of being alone. She had wanted security and someone to keep her company when she was sad. But that wasn't love. Maybe that was why even now, in this dark moment of her life she couldn't bring herself to cry.

Yuki's brother looked nearly hysterical. "How could he!" he raged. "How could he do that?" Another woman Machi had never seen before, with pigtails and glasses hurried up to him, comfortingly placing her hands on his shoulder. He looked at her in surprise, his eyes widening, the name "Miine," uttered from his trembling mouth. They gazed at one another for awhile, in that stereotypical sappy lovey dovey fashion that you see in movies. Machi wanted to laugh. It was disgusting.

She turned around and left the church, leaving behind the chaos and shouting. What a disaster this had been. What a night. But life would still continue. The next day would come and the sun would shine as it always had. There was no going around that. She could feel the heavy material of her dress dragging behind her as she crossed the street. Life would go on as it had and so would she. Looking up at the night sky, dotted in stars, the moon almost full but not quite, Machi's lips curled into a small smile. That's right. Somehow she'd be okay. She would heal, and she would move on. That was the natural order of things. Maybe someday she'd find that special one for her, and he would truly love her with all his heart, and she would love him as well. Out of nowhere, a tear trickled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand.

So much for not being able to cry.

_--Epilogue-- _

_Six Years later _

Tohru shifted the camera in her right hand, fumbling with the shutter. In her other arm, she held her baby girl, wrapped in a fluffy pink dress and white stockings. "I can't get it," she sighed. She turned to Yuki and handed their daughter to him. "Can you hold her for a second."

Nodding, Yuki took the tiny girl into his arms, smiling warmly at her. "Hey there sweetie," Yuki cooed. "Come to daddy."

A little boy around the age of four stood beside his father's leg, tugging at the material of his pants. "I wanna be held too," Yota complained. "Daddy, hold me too."

"All right, all right," Yuki agreed, hoisting his son into his other arm.

Tohru looked up from her camera for a moment, gazing at her son and daughter, all dressed up in their father's arms. "My babies are just so cute!" she cried, kissing them both on the cheek.

"Mommy, I'm not a baby," Yota whined.

"Oh yes you are. And an adorable one too."

Kagura and Kyo came up to them, followed by Uo and her husband Kureno. A little boy with fiery red hair sat on Kyo's shoulder's beating on his father's head. "Hey you guys," Kagura beamed cheerfully. "It's been awhile."

"We've been busy with the new house," Tohru grinned. "I never realized how much trouble moving could be."

"Definitely," Uo agreed. She glanced over the crowds of people, shading her eyes with her hand. "When the hell is this thing going to get started anyway?"

"Soon," Tohru replied, glancing at her watch. "I think." It was such a sunny day out. She loved the idea of an outdoor wedding. It was so romantic. All she needed to do was get her camera working so she could take lots and lots of pictures!

"Hey look, its Uncle Ayame and Auntie Miine!" Yota cried, pointing past them. "Uncle Ayame! Auntie Miine! Hi!"

"Yota," Yuki groaned, "don't call those two over."

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite little nephew," Ayame beamed, rushing over to them and patting the little boy on the head. "You'll grow up to be just like your uncle one day. I guarantee it!'

"Don't ever say that again," Yuki grumbled.

"Shame on you brother," Ayame cried. "Why, imagine if I had really fired you all those years ago! Where would you be now?"

"A much happier place?" Yuki guessed.

"No! You'd be homeless! And how would you have cared for that adorable wife of yours." He nodded at Tohru.

"You still didn't let me have that raise," Yuki reminded him.

Ayame laughed loudly. "Well of course not. You didn't go through with the deal after all." He turned to Tohru. "No offense."

"None taken," Tohru smiled in return. It had taken a long time but everything had worked out for the best. Everyone had settled down with the person they loved and managed to start a family. And now, at long last, one of her best friends was finally getting married as well.

"It's starting!" Uo exclaimed. "I swear I'm gonna cry!"

Tohru felt the same way. She watched as Hanajima walked down the aisle to where Kazuma was waiting for her. Her friend looked beautiful, even if she was wearing a black wedding dress. Lifting her camera in her hands, Tohru snapped a picture.

The end.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know I published my first book Paranormal Agency By Sophia Alexandra. It's available online on amazon . com and barnes and . Please check it out.


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